On Penglai Island, when Zhao Zan mentioned the important matter, Fu Yanlin was not in a hurry, changed the topic and followed Zhao Zan's words and talked about the family affairs first: "Yuan Fu, what you said. On that day, my brother went north to Youzhou, and Shi Jingtang took my old and young family to Luoyang, called rewards. In fact, everyone knew that it was a hostage. After his brother surrendered to Zhang Longxiang, it was thanks to the chaos in Luoyang that my Fu family could escape from heaven."

Zhao Zan asked, "I don't know what position my fourth uncle is now in. I heard that Fan Yanguang is the governor. Our Fu family tree has a deep roots and is far from comparable to a riot like Fan Yanguang. I guess the fourth uncle is at least one of the governors, right?"

Fu Yanlin said, "No, no. Before I set off, my brother was appointed as the General of the Central Army and walked in front of the Marshal."

"General of the Central Army?"

Just as Zhang Mai didn't know much about Zhao Zan's situation, Zhao Zan was far away from the sea and did not know much about the military and political system of the Tang army within the Tiance. However, he was familiar with history books and knew many stories of the previous dynasties, and said in an envious tone: "I wonder if this general of the Central Army in Tiance is comparable to the Tiger Ben Yulin of the Han Dynasty, in 2,000 stones, or is it comparable to the Imperial Guard Commander of the Tang Dynasty, and second only to the General?"

Who knew Fu Yanlin said: "No, the general of the Central Army in Tiance is very small. In the army, you can call him a general in front of you, but in fact you can't even be a general. You can only be considered a brigade general."

In fact, according to the establishment of the Tiance Tang army in the northwest, a general of the Central Army could control three to four Duwei Mansions, that is, control the scale of three to four thousand people. Tiance was strong in the army and horses, and did not count the auxiliary soldiers and civilians. Therefore, the three thousand soldiers were enough to be the only one side. Even if they were like sweat and blood, iron beasts, there were only a few thousand core troops. Therefore, the position of the Central Army General was not low, but now the family is getting bigger and bigger. Especially in Guanzhong and the two battles in Mobei, there were many people who accumulated merits and progress, and a large number of middle-level generals were bound to rise. High-level generals such as Yang Yi, Shi Ba, and Xue Fu were all over the ceiling. Therefore, in the near future, both Fan Zhi and Wei Renpu, Yang Yi and Xue Fu have been discussing the issue of military system reform.

When Zhao Zan heard Fu Yanlin say that Fu Yanqing was not even a general, he was stunned and said unjustly: "Didn't Zhang Longxiang claim to be wise to employ people? I really didn't expect that he would treat his fourth uncle badly like this!"

"In the eyes of others, it was probably a bad treatment," Fu Yanlin smiled slightly and said, "But my brother was very happy."

"Very happy? Why is that?"

Fu Yanlin said: "My brother is happy because the marshal said to his brother openly: "Marquis Guan has come and has not made great achievements. If he suddenly holds a high position, I am afraid that Anxi's old friends will not accept it. Therefore, the marshal asked his brother to start with the General of the Central Army."

Speaking of this, Fu Yanlin looked at Zhao Zan, and his tone was full of unpredictable and profound: "In fact, most of the surrendered generals of the Jin army are temporarily placed under the old pseudo-Jin Lord. Among all the surrendered generals, there are only two who can be treated like this by the marshal: one is his brother and the other is Gao Xingzhou. He also started his family and obtained the joint assistance. After Pingyou two warehouses, he was promoted to the level. Now his position is only under the generals of Guo Yang and Xue Tie, and above his brother."

Zhao Zan exclaimed, speechless for a moment, and thought to Fu Yanlin. Fu Yanlin's words clearly mean that Zhang Mai has included Fu Yanqing in the category of "his own people". Zhao Zan naturally understood Fu Yanlin's meaning. He has been familiar with history books since he was a child, and naturally knew that the most concerned thing for surrendered generals under the new masters in the past dynasties was not "high promotion", but "no disaster". It is easy to rise high - when surrendered, you can usually get a promise of high rewards. But it is difficult to be truly trusted by the surrendered generals, and it is even more difficult to become "his own people".

Zhao Zan naturally didn't dare to believe Fu Yanlin's words. However, as relatives, Fu Yanlin actually spoke to her for Zhang Mai's sake. This clearly put her wholeheartedly on Zhang Mai's side. It can be seen that Zhang Mai was afraid that the Fu Yanqing brothers were really good.

"The nephew dared not hope to get the Marshal's confidant like his fourth uncle." Zhao Zan sighed: "I hope I can wash my feet and land in the future, so I don't have to do such a wandering business anymore. I don't know if the Marshal can give Zhao Zan such a promise."

Fu Yanlin said, "Marantor, let me bring a word here." He waited for Zhao Zan to lift his eyebrows. When everyone in the table listened intently, he said, "Marantor said, let you go north to Youzhou to see him."

"Go to Youzhou? Meet Marshal Zhang?"

"Yes. The Marshal's original words were: He wants to see you and let you go."

Not only Zhao Zan, but all the generals were stunned during the meal. Zhang Mai did not promise any high-ranking officials or any guarantees. He just said softly and seemed extremely light.

Zhao Zan was a little unhappy, and a subordinate of his subordinate jumped up first and said angrily: "Call us marquis to see him? Do we marquis be the one who shouts us and waving away?"

Zhao Zan's subordinates were part of Zhao Dejun's old subordinates. These people were good at land wars, and the other was a new general who was gathered in Shandong. These people were good at water wars. Because Zhao Zan called himself the Marquis of Jinghai after entering the sea, his subordinates all called him the Marquis. The old subordinates were Lu Long Xiaohan, and most of the new subordinates were from pirates, so they were all domineering. After hearing Fu Yanlin's words, they reacted fiercely and all shouted.

Zhao Zanxin's thoughts were much deeper than his subordinates. After a flash of anger, he thought that Zhang Mai's words were so simple that they left a huge space for explanation. He calmed down and raised his hand, and no one dared to speak again during the meal.

Seeing this, Fu Yanlin thought to herself: "It seems that Zhao Yuanfu has a high prestige and can suppress these arrogant soldiers."

Zhao Zan said: "Master Zhang asked him to go down to see him?"

"yes."

"Go to Youzhou to see him?"

"yes?"

"How to meet? When to meet? How many people will be taken?"

Seeing that he had three questions in a row, Fu Yanlin asked the point and smiled and said, "Whatever."

"Whatever?" Zhao Zan frowned and said, "What does it mean?"

Fu Yanlin said: "The Marshal said that when you go and how many people you bring, he will not force you or limit you. But your choice will determine your future."

When Zhao Zan heard this, he became silent. Fu Yanlin saw that he had said this. When Zhao Zan understood, he ordered the generals to retreat temporarily, and there was no third person during the meal. Zhao Zan said: "Uncle, there are no outsiders now, let's talk openly. I really can't accept Zhang Longxiang's despise me like this! Even if I can bear to accept it, my subordinates will never accept it. After all, this foundation on the sea was not won by me alone. I am willing to use it to achieve a stable wealth, but I can't sell it too cheaply! Otherwise, the people under my command will not have a way out!"

Fu Yanlin said: "Do you think Zhang Longxiang is inferior to you?"

"Isn't it?" Zhao Zan said unyieldingly: "Uncle, because we are a relative, I respect you. Of course, I understand that our relationship has been very distant over the years and there is no need to talk about much relationship. However, the Fu family has surrendered and is under Tiance's command. I have to find a support in the future. Why didn't I go through Yedu this time, but I went from Youzhou to find Zhang Longxiang? I just hope that my fourth uncle can help me get a good clause. After the surrender in the future, my Zhao family has a high status under Tiance, and the support the Fu family has received is greater. Do I need to explain this principle more clearly? But you have been talking to Zhang Longxiang since the beginning, which disappoints me."

What both sides said just now was mostly official language. When I got here, I was preparing to tear my skin and tell the truth.

Fu Yanlin nodded and said, "Yuanfu, you can think so. Wouldn't your brother think so? But according to my brother's speculation, Zhang Longxiang would issue such an order, not to be despised by you, but to leave a brighter way."

"Oh? How do you say it?"

Fu Yanlin briefly explained what happened in Hebei during this period, focusing on Fan Yanguang's actions and the Fu family's circumstances.

After hearing Fan Yanguang's indulgence in his subordinates to kill the law enforcement team, Zhao Zan sneered: "The surname Fan is to be dying!" Hearing that in one day, Fu Yanqing three brothers were at the same time, the fifth brother helped guard Kaifeng, the seventh brother entered Chenzhou, and the eighth brother took Yingchang, and Fu Yanqing was in the center, Jian Ce followed, and he couldn't help but blurted out: "Uncle, your Fu family is about to prosper!"

Fu Yanlin was not humble and smiled softly and said, "There is indeed such a sign. Nowadays, although Huai and Si have troops, there are no leaders and no fighting spirit. My seventh and eighth brothers can summon an army, and the fourth brother will ask for an order from Marshal Zhang. To the west, you can take Xianghan and to the east, you can take Huai and Si. At that time, one person is inside and three generals are outside. At that time, my Fu family would say that it is not enough to compare with Guo Yang and Xue Zheng, but it is enough for my Fu family to gain a foothold under the new leader."

Zhao Zan pondered for a long time and grabbed Fu Yanlin's hand and said, "Uncle, can my Zhao family also take such a path?"

Fu Yanlin said: "Since the Fu family can do it, why can't the Zhao family? Just find out Zhang Longxiang's temperament."

"Please give me a thumbs up!"

Fu Yanlin said: "In the fourth brother's opinion, Tiance will unify the world, but it's only a matter of time."

Zhao Zan nodded and said, "I also agree with this statement!"

Fu Yanlin said: "However, the Tiance New Tang established by Zhang Longxiang is not just because of its powerful martial arts. During this period, the fourth brother secretly observed its internal political system, which is very different from the old system of the Central Plains. Fan Yanguang's biggest problem is not that he violated anyone's taboo, but that he cannot see that Tiance New Tang is operating a new system now. The Fan family cannot adapt to the new system. Regardless of whether it violates the military law or not, it will be a matter of time before it is excluded. But if we can adapt to this system, we will have a lot of branches and leaves in the new dynasty in the future, and the future of the family business is unlimited!"

As he said that, he Zhang Mai entered Yanyun again, and the political construction he had promoted after Hebei was chosen - these were Fu Yanqing's observations, and then told through Fu Yanlin's mouth that the real situation was much deeper, but Zhao Zan had heard with relish and sighed: "Actually, through doing business in recent years, I have also heard a lot of sweet and cold benevolent politics from the mouths of customers, but I have always felt that there is an exaggeration. Today, it is not luck that Tiance can sweep the world."

"The fourth brother also commented this." Fu Yanlin said: "Yuan Fu, now Zhang Longxiang has actually given you a choice. He asked you to go. It depends on your attitude, so there is no limit on when you go, how to go, and how many people you take, but your choice will affect your future. Even if you don't go..."

Zhao Zan said: "What will happen?"

Fu Yanlin said: "According to my brother's speculation, if you don't go up Yuanfu, Zhang Longxiang would have sent an envoy to come down again. At that time, it would be the title you were looking forward to. There should be a military governor, and if you must be a title of marquis, it might not be impossible."

Zhao Zan said lightly: "But after that, it will be the result of Fan Yanguang, right?"

Fu Yanlin smiled and said, "I'm afraid it's."

Zhao Zan pondered and said, "I have no intention of becoming king in the wilderness overseas. I hope to return to the Central Plains for generations of ministers. I just don't know if there is still a chance to make a contribution under Tiance!"

Fu Yanlin said: "Yuan Fu is confused! Although the hardest Khitan is tied, the Jiangnan, Wu, Yue, and Fujian are all relying on the sea!"

——————————

The banquet in Binhai almost ended in a bad mood, but the secret talks after the end were full of fun. After Fu Yanlin left, the generals came to inquire about the news again, and Zhao Zan just comforted them not to worry: "I have my own ideas, so everyone doesn't have to worry."

Then he came to an elegant wooden courtyard on the island. Two maids welcomed him into the courtyard. Zhao Zan asked, "How is the princess's health today?"

Before the maid could answer, a woman in the yard said, "I have been raising it for several days, and my health is no longer injurious."

This woman is Zhao Zan's biological mother, Princess Xingping. She was originally under house arrest in Luoyang. After Zhao Zan's power grew, she spent a lot of money to send spies to bribe officials. However, it was not until recently that Princess Xingping was rescued and placed on Penglai Island. However, she was temporarily kept secret from the public.

Zhao Zan stepped back from his maid and greeted his mother.

The princess asked, "I met the messenger today, how are you talking?"

Zhao Zan said, "Just just to report to his mother." He served his mother Chunxiao. He briefly said the talk and said, "What Fu Yanlin said is basically the same as the news that the child found. Although the Fu family wanted to surrender to us and use this merit as a stepping stone for their Fu family to go further. But there are still seven parts of the truth inside. Fan Yanguang's road is indeed impossible. But because of his Fu family's argument, he would give Zhang Longxiang the huge family in this way, and the child could not be unwilling to accept it."

The princess said, "I am a woman and have no knowledge. Not to mention that I have been under house arrest for many years, and the outside world has not been informed and cannot help my son. But on the way to escape east, I often hear people say that the world is going to be unified again. What do you think, child?"

"It is indeed going to be unified." Zhao Zan said: "It is not only because of the strong military force. It is also because Tiance's military and political system is far beyond the reach of the vassals of the north and south. The most difficult Khitan has been defeated. Shi Jin is shaking. As for the vassals in the south, whether they are emperor or king, they are actually just wealth-guarding dogs, and they are just waiting for Tiance to decide on the Central Plains to collect them."

The princess said: "If Tiance unified the world, will the child be confident of separating overseas?"

Zhao Zan smiled bitterly and said, "No way! Although the wealth on the sea comes quickly, it can only be earned by the mainland. Otherwise, it will be rootless duckweed. Not to mention being as strong as Tiance, even Shi Jingtang, if he was not busy with external troubles, as long as he sealed the harbor, within three years, our thousands of ships will collapse without fighting. If we have not yet surrendered when Tiance is unified, then sooner or later the lives of overseas thieves will never be able to maintain the free life today."

The princess said: "I don't understand the national affairs, but I have seen many emperors' rise and fall, but I know one thing very clearly: all the kings and earth are kings and ministers. You can be divided in troubled times, but when the unification comes, you will only divide the kings and ministers. If you don't want to compete for the throne and feel unable to divide the kings and ministers, then you might as well hand over all your belongings! The more thorough the delivery is, the more you will show your true nature."

Zhao Zan said: "Take it all over? Zhang Mai hasn't made any promise yet!"

"Child, you're confused." The princess said: "The unpromising promises of the imperial family are limitless!"

Zhao Zan said: "Mother is the one who is instructed!"

Seeing that there was still hesitation in his eyes, the princess said, "If the child wants to gain Zhang Longxiong's trust as soon as possible and needs to observe for a while, then it is OK to hand me out first."

Zhao Zan was shocked: "How can that be!"

"Why can't it be!" said the princess: "The lives of our women are never in our own hands. I am actually the same in Penglai or Luoyang - as long as you have both soldiers and ships, I will naturally be fine."

——————————

When Zhao Zan met Fu Yanlin, Hebei was ushering in a recovery. It cannot be said to be a comprehensive economic recovery, but at least it has a thriving trend in business.

The strict military laws and rapid actions of the Tiance Rangers effectively attacked bandits everywhere. In this country with agriculture as the foundation, no farmers were willing to leave the harvest that they were about to get out to cause trouble during the autumn harvest. The issuance of the tax exemption order for autumn harvest made people feel at ease, and most prefectures and counties quickly settled down, especially several main roads running through each prefecture and county, which were unprecedentedly peaceful!

In the past, business travel and business roads not only had to face the robbers, but also were exploited by officials from all over the country. The most troublesome thing was that personal safety was not guaranteed and he did not dare to go on the road without strong force. After the Anshi Rebellion, the vassal states were separatist, and the Later Liang, the Later Tang and the Later Jin Dynasty nominally unified the north. In fact, the control over the local area was very limited, and Tiance, which attached importance to business, cleaned up several traffic roads in just two months. Although the Lijin checkpoint was set up along the way according to the new Tiance system, the setting of the Lijin tax amount was strictly calculated and roughly controlled within the endurance of merchants. For the business travel dealers and powerful aristocratic families in Hebei, this was a new situation that had not been seen in a century.

Although Hedong and Luoyang are isolated, the river channel from Xiabeiji to Hekou Town has been opened. From the Western Regions and near, goods from Ganlong are continuously transported to Youzhou, and merchants from Shandong and Hebei are also moved. When Li Zhuo set off from Yedu, the canal that originally only military traveled canals, but now most of them are civilian ships.

From Yedu to the north, there are guard posts and towers every ten miles, either thirty miles or fifty miles, and there are lijin tax customs. However, there is no repeated collection within 200 miles. You only need to display the receipts obtained after paying the tax money before to the tax publicist. The 120 tax publicans on this canal road were transferred from the northwest by Zhang Mai. The collection procedures and accounting methods were all in line with Ganlong. That was an effective tax collection procedure on the Ganliang Road in the past ten years. Local officials in the states along the canal had applied for local officials to be selected, but Zhang Mai refused. However, Zhang Mai left one-third of the tax levy with the prefectures and counties along the way, and ordered all states to recommend those who were under the age of 25 to go to Youzhou for training. There will be other calls later.

Li Zhuo went north from Yedu, and the more he walked north, the more ships followed. Li Zhuo was staying at night, but the merchants were pursuing profits. When they smelled the money in Youzhou, they were traveling day and night - anyway, they were walking on the boat. So they asked the boatman to work in two shifts. Shi Jingtang used troops to Yan Yun and had already recruited all the ships he could recruit to transport troops and grain. God knew how so many ships would emerge from where in such a short time. He passed through Taoguan, Linqing, Ninghua, Wucheng, Zhangnan, Anle, and Anle, and then went to Pingyoucang. From here, many official and military ships appeared, constantly transporting grain and grass to the north, passing through Changhe, Wuqiao, Anling, and Dongguang, and then turned from the canal to the Qinghe River, and then the waterway to the north became wider and wider, running through the entire Cangzhou.

At the confluence of Haihe River and Sanggan River, a new town had appeared at this time. The town had only set up a place, and merchants were gathering together, but the warehouse cellar had been built long ago. This is the Hejin Town planned by Zhangmai, which will be the foothold for the southern grain transportation in the future. Most of the ships escorted the grain docked after they arrived here.

Hejin Town goes northwest and still walks through the canal to Youzhou, but Li Zhuo found that not only merchant ships head north, but also merchant ships head south and east.

It’s not surprising to go south. When doing business, there are going to go, but what to do to go east? It’s the sea!

After Li Zhuo inquired, he found out that there was a small town called Tianjin at the entrance of the Haihe River that opened a port!

As a large clan in Hebei, Li Zhuo was well-informed. He had known that there was a fishing village at the entrance of the Haihe River. The powerful generals in Jidong and Yannan entrusted merchants to trade with "pirates" in this small fishing village. That fishing village was an important smuggling route. But the merchants who rushed east said that not long ago, Marshal Zhang sent troops to the fishing village, renamed it Tianjin, and established a new tax system there - that is, from now on, the previous smuggling behavior will become open trade in the future. Goods from the Silk Road can certainly be transported overseas, goods from overseas can also be transported through sea routes to Tianjin, then enter the Hebei business district, and become the feeder of the Taixi Silk Road.

When Li Zhuo entered Youzhou, the once deserted city was becoming lively, but almost none of the people coming and going had the Youzhou accent. The Youzhou people had been migrated by the Khitan. Now these are all outsiders, most of them were business travelers from the west, and some merchants from eastern Hebei, central Hebei, southern Hebei, and Shandong vendors are still on the way. It is estimated that Youzhou will not enter the peak season of transactions until winter comes.

Entering from the south gate, passing through Nanshi, and taking a long way to think about it, stepping on the Central Avenue levelled by Xue Fu, Li Zhuo walked step by step towards the North City and walked into the golden tent that was open to him. In the tent, Zhang Mai was inserting two small flags in Yingchang and Chenzhou.

—————

Sorry, because of some unsatisfactory things, I feel very depressed these two days. I have an influence code.
Chapter completed!