Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 121: Chapter 117: The Stunned and Foolish Son

“How should Yinghe Castle be arranged?”

Compared to An Yuan State City, he was actually more concerned about Yinghe Castle.

He had spent more than a year at Yinghe Castle, investing much effort and energy in managing it, and had finally started seeing some results. However, now he had to leave, which worried him.

If someone else were to come to Yinghe Castle as the defense officer, his previous efforts might soon become futile.

Moreover, his horse ranch was still there, and without him being present, using Spiritual Spring Water for the horses would not be as convenient.

Thinking about this, Yang Zhengshan felt a headache looming.

This matter came too suddenly, leaving him utterly unprepared.

Zhou Lan thought for a moment and said, “Let Yang Chengze temporarily act as the defense officer. After a year or two, I’ll promote him to Official Thousand Households.”

A defense officer usually holds the position of an Official Thousand Households, and Yang Chengze has only been appointed as a Deputy Thousand Households less than a month ago; surely a further promotion can’t be granted now, so an exception for temporary appointment must be made.

As for appointing someone else, Zhou Lan also did not feel it was appropriate.

The people she selects would definitely not be incapable, but they might not necessarily follow established practices.

Although Yang Chengze is a bit young, he has previously served as a garrison commander and does have experience managing a garrison.

More importantly, he was personally trained by Yang Zhengshan. If he takes over Yinghe Castle, he will definitely act according to the rules and policies set by Yang Zhengshan, ensuring that Yang Zhengshan’s prior efforts won’t go to waste.

Yang Zhengshan nodded slightly, realizing that this was the only option now.

Actually, he thought Yang Mingwu would be more suitable, but Yang Mingwu had already gone to Tianhe Castle and definitely could not be transferred back.

“That’s a good plan!”

“Yes, if there’s anything else you need, I’m here to help you!”

“Do you want to bring some people along? Your younger kinfolks are quite capable, you could bring a few to An Yuan State City.”

Zhou Lan was slightly worried about Yang Zhengshan, fearing that he might struggle alone in An Yuan State City.

Yang Zhengshan gave a slight shake of his head, “No need, they have their own futures to carve out, and must pave their own paths!”

The dozen people he initially brought have now secured official positions of Hundred Households or higher; they are not house servants of Yang Zhengshan, so naturally, he can’t keep them tied to his side forever.

Moreover, he also has resources to tap into now, like the several Yang family members recommended by Yang Zhengxiang that he still hadn’t positioned; this would be a good opportunity to take them to An Yuan State City for development.

“Alright then, if you run into any trouble later on, feel free to come to me!” Zhou Lan said.

Yang Zhengshan looked at Zhou Lan with a touch of gratitude.

At this moment, a feeling of reluctance also emerged in his heart.

During the year and a half, Zhou Lan’s care for him was self-evident, always ready to meet his requests.

Having such a good superior, Yang Zhengshan truly didn’t want to leave.

…

After sending Zhou Lan off, Yang Zhengshan pondered in his study for a long time.

He wondered why he was being reassigned?

Unfortunately, with limited information available, he couldn’t figure out that this matter might involve Lv Hua, the garrison eunuch.

Unable to figure out the reason, Yang Zhengshan had to play it by ear; the pressing matter now was to arrange things properly at Yinghe Castle.

First, he wrote letters to Yang Mingwu, Yang Mingzhi, and Yang Chengxu, informing them about his transfer to An Yuan State City and urging them to stay dedicated and avoid wrong paths.

In these letters, he really wrote as an elder, filled with gentle persuasion and earnest instruction.

After sending the letters, Yang Zhengshan called Yang Mingcheng over.

In the study, Yang Zhengshan considered how to handle the horse ranch.

After his departure, the horse ranch would no longer benefit from Spiritual Spring Water, becoming just an ordinary ranch.

To completely give up this horse ranch?

It seemed unnecessary, as even a normal ranch could still be profitable.

Moreover, even if he went to An Yuan State City, he would need some time to understand the situation there; it certainly wasn’t possible to set up a new horse ranch in the short term.

After some thought, Yang Zhengshan decided to keep the horse ranch for now and see how things unfold later.

“Dad, you wanted to see me?”

Seeing that Yang Zhengshan remained silent, Yang Mingcheng couldn’t help but ask.

“Yes, your dad has been promoted! Commander of Songzhou Guard, appointed as the garrison officer of An Yuan State City!” Yang Zhengshan announced.

“Ah!”

Yang Mingcheng’s mouth hung open, his face a picture of shock as he looked at his father.

“Stop being surprised, there are some tasks I need you to do!” Yang Zhengshan said.

“Oh!” Yang Mingcheng still hadn’t recovered from his astonishment.

At this moment, his mind was filled with thoughts of his father’s promotion!

What rank is the position of Commander of Songzhou Guard?

Where is Songzhou Guard?

And where is An Yuan State City?

His mind was like a messy paste, making him look foolish and silly, quite a comical sight.

“Prepare these next few days, hand over the matters of the horse ranch to Jiang He, and then head to An Yuan State City to get familiar with the situation!”

“Take Ding Qiu with you, and let Ming Zhen choose a few people to accompany you. Once you’re there, be cautious, do not reveal your identity, and try to gather information about the affairs of various government offices.”

Yang Zhengshan instructed.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t bring Yang Mingzhi to An Yuan State City; in terms of gathering intelligence, Yang Mingzhi would have been more reliable.

An Yuan State City is quite a place, with a garrison office, a Prefectural Government, a Military Equipment Department, and even a branch of the Inspector General’s Office.

Yang Zhengshan would inevitably have to interact with these offices in the future, so it was better to understand the situation in advance.

“Oh!” Yang Mingcheng responded blankly.

Yang Zhengshan was somewhat speechless and slapped his head.

“Calm down!”

“Uh, Dad, you’ve been promoted. The Deputy Magistrate of the garrison is a Secondary Third Rank!”

At this moment, Yang Mingcheng finally understood what rank the Deputy Magistrate of the garrison held.

Yang Zhenshan didn’t know whether to cry or laugh.

This foolish son!

“Alright, you can go out now!”

Yang Zhenshan didn’t want to see his foolish demeanor, so he sent him out.

And Yang Mingcheng, dazed, walked out of the study, stood outside the study door for a long time before he came to his senses, and then grinned foolishly, even more foolishly than an actual fool.

Yang Zhenshan’s promotion was absolutely a joyous occasion for the Yang family.

Yang Mingcheng was naturally both shocked and delighted.

“Dad has been promoted!”

This fellow, having regained his senses, immediately ran back to the backyard to share the news with everyone.

Soon, the backyard was filled with sounds of surprise and cheers.

They didn’t know the situation Yang Zhenshan was about to face; they were just happy for his promotion.

When the Yang Family heard about it, other people in the garrison quickly did as well.

In no time, everywhere within the garrison was abuzz with talk of Yang Zhenshan’s promotion.

No matter what, a promotion was a good thing. Everyone in the garrison was happy for Yang Zhenshan, but there were also some worries.

Especially the ordinary military households, whose concerns were the most profound.

They knew what life was like before Yang Zhenshan came, and what it had been like after he arrived.

What Yang Zhenshan had brought them was very clear.

They were thankful for everything Yang Zhenshan had done for them, and they respected his character.

But they were even more afraid of losing Yang Zhenshan, afraid of returning to their former lives.

It was unclear which military household first arrived in front of the government office, but soon, a large crowd had gathered there.

It was getting dark, and shadows were swarming in front of the government office.

They stared eagerly at the location of the government study, but they didn’t shout loudly or do anything, just quietly watched.

“Sir, you better go out and see!” said Lu Wenchun worriedly from inside the study.

With so many people gathered in front of the government office, any mishandling could potentially cause a big disturbance.

Yang Zhenshan stood up, straightened his clothes, and walked out of the government office.

Seeing Yang Zhenshan, the crowd became somewhat agitated.

“Greetings, Your Honor!”

“Greetings, Your Honor!”

A swath of them knelt down.

Yang Zhenshan looked at them, his face wearing a gentle smile.

“Get up, everyone. It’s cold today; kneeling on the ground is too chilly!”

He stepped forward and helped up an elder.

This elder he knew well, though he didn’t know the elder’s name.

The elder had always lived in Yinghe Castle, his eldest son had died in the battle of Linguan Castle, and his second son was now a Cavalry.

After helping up the elder, Yang Zhenshan looked around at everyone and said, “A promotion is something joyful; you should all be happy for me. Why does everyone look so somber?”

“Sir, what do we do after you leave?” said the elder by his side, trembling.

They were grateful to Yang Zhenshan, but he was more worried about their future lives.

Yang Zhenshan smiled and said, “Don’t worry, after I leave, Deputy Thousand Households Yang Chengze will take over as the defense officer, and he will help everyone just like I have.”

“He will lead you into battle just like I have!”

Yang Zhenshan’s voice turned a bit deeper as he said the latter.

War and death were inescapable fates for the border town’s military households.

Yang Zhenshan had done a lot for them, but he had also caused many among them to lose loved ones.

If Yang Zhenshan had not come, their defense officer might have hidden inside the garrison, not daring to lead them into battle, and perhaps their relatives would not have died!

Yang Zhenshan’s military achievements were bought with their lives.

Hearing Yang Zhenshan’s words, the military households’ worries dissipated a bit.

They all knew Yang Chengze; after all, Yinghe Castle was not that large, and Yang Chengze was no stranger, as they saw each other often.

But Yang Chengze, not far away, was stunned.

Me as the defense officer?

I just got promoted to Deputy Thousand Households.

Why am I now to be the defense officer?

Yang Chengze felt no joy, but tremendous anxiety and even fear.

He feared ruining everything Yang Zhenshan had done, feared letting Yinghe Castle deteriorate, feared letting down the military households’ expectations.

“Don’t worry, even if I leave Yinghe Castle, I will not forget Yinghe Castle!”

“And isn’t there still General Zhou?”

“Times are different now; with General Zhou here, I believe that you will have better lives.”

Yang Zhenshan tried to reassure the military households with gentle words.

He spoke for about half an hour, and the military households finally felt reassured and then dispersed.

Watching the departing figures, Yang Zhenshan sighed softly in his heart, “All these hard-living people!”

“Alright, let’s all disperse,” he said to the officials around him.

By now, it was completely dark, and they should have all gone down from the government office by now.