Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 320: Chapter 310 Return to Tenglong Guard

The next day at noon, Yang Zhenshan returned to Tenglong Guard.

Tenglong Guard was very stable, and nothing unexpected had happened.

With Xie Yuan, Wu Chongzhe, and Yang Mingzhen keeping an eye on things, no chaos could arise in Tenglong Guard. However, because Yang Zhenshan had redeployed the camp’s soldiers and troops, training had been suspended for over half a month.

After returning to Tenglong Guard, Yang Zhenshan first dealt with matters inside the government office before confirming that there were no major issues, and thus returned home.

At home, Yang Mingzhi and Yang Minghao had already returned two days earlier.

Yang Zhenshan first visited the main courtyard to check on Yu Qingyi and Little Ming Zhao. He had been sending letters home during these days, so Yu Qingyi was not too worried about him.

However, Little Ming Zhao seemed somewhat estranged from him.

“This silly boy, hasn’t seen his father for just a few days yet he doesn’t recognize him!” Yang Zhenshan commented dejectedly as Little Ming Zhao refused to let him hold him.

Yu Qingyi covered her mouth and chuckled, “Alright, go wash up first. You’re covered in dust, better not hold the child!”

Yang Zhenshan had no choice but to pinch Little Ming Zhao’s cheek hard. Little Ming Zhao slapped his hand away and then glared at him angrily.

This little one seemed to have developed a temper!

After washing up, Yang Zhenshan called Yang Mingzhi and Yang Minghao to his study.

“What’s the situation in the Capital City?” Yang Zhenshan asked.

“After we delivered the memorial to the Imperial City, His Majesty summoned ministers from the Ministry of Criminal Justice, the Ministry of Justice, and the Imperial Examination Hall that very day!”

“Boss Liu said that His Majesty was furious and ordered a strict investigation into the case of the Liaodong Salt Transportation Department!”

“Additionally, His Majesty also reprimanded Prince Xin, penalizing him one year’s salary and grounding him for six months!”

Yang Mingzhi spoke softly.

After delivering the memorial to the Imperial City, they didn’t return immediately but went to seek an audience with Liu Yuanfu at Liu Mansion.

They waited for the better part of the day before Liu Yuanfu returned home, and all the information about the Imperial City came from him.

“Only a one-year salary penalty and six months’ confinement?” Yang Zhenshan stroked his beard, contemplatively.

A salary penalty was not exactly a light punishment for Prince Xin.

The Prince’s salary was substantial: fifty thousand stones of rice, fifteen thousand strings of cash, forty bolts of brocade, three hundred bolts of silk, a hundred bolts of gauze, two hundred catties of salt, a thousand catties of tea, and a provision of fifty horses’ fodder per month, and so on.

Altogether, it amounted to about fifty thousand taels of silver annually.

Losing one year’s salary was significant, considering maintaining such a large mansion required a lot of money. With income halted for a year, Prince Xin would surely feel the pinch.

But compared to the money he garnered through Luo Fu, the one-year salary seemed trivial.

Regarding the six-month confinement!

This punishment was more severe than a salary cut. A prince vying for the throne could not appear in court for half a year, nor maintain his factional relationships during that time.

If Prince Xin’s influence in court slackened even slightly, his painstakingly gathered faction might completely collapse.

“Is this punishment light or severe?” Yang Zhenshan pondered.

If said to be severe, it had not entirely eliminated Prince Xin’s chances for the throne.

If said to be light, it still dealt a non-negligible blow to Prince Xin, making his struggle for the throne even weaker.

Yang Zhenshan couldn’t fathom Emperor Chengping’s thoughts. Although Emperor Chengping was already preparing for a transition of power, he was still unwilling to give the Crown Prince a panacea.

These princes should have been assigned their fiefs long ago, but Emperor Chengping had not permitted it. It would be strange if the Crown Prince felt secure.

Yang Zhenshan shook his head slightly; the old Emperor’s motives were too profound. It was better for him to worry less, as he couldn’t reach the old Emperor anyway.

Having temporarily settled the affairs of Liao’an Prefecture, Yang Zhenshan, upon returning to Tenglong Guard, immediately focused on the training of the troops.

Basic training was the most critical for the troops as it was their only chance to drink Spiritual Spring Water.

With the increasing number of soldiers under his command, Yang Zhenshan could no longer ensure that every soldier often drank Spiritual Spring Water, let alone every military household within his jurisdiction.

All he could do was ensure that every soldier had the opportunity to drink Spiritual Spring Water, that is, during camp training.

During basic training, Yang Zhenshan would visit the barracks every two or three days, each time dumping Spiritual Spring Water into several water wells in the camp.

Yes, literally pouring it into the wells.

This was necessary since training involved two or three thousand men, and there were over a dozen kitchens in the camp. It was impossible for Yang Zhenshan to individually add Spiritual Spring Water to each kitchen.

It was far more convenient to use the six wells than to visit the kitchens individually.

Moreover, he now had such an abundance of Spiritual Spring Water that he was unconcerned about potential waste.

Pouring massive amounts of Spiritual Spring Water into the wells ensured every soldier could drink it.

Not just in the barracks, Yang Zhenshan also poured a lot of Spiritual Spring Water into the wells at home and in the government office.

Everyone at home and in the government office knew that Yang Zhenshan had a habit of hovering around the well, huh, Yang Zhenshan explained it by saying that he determined whether there would be a drought this year by observing the water level in the wells.

Even though this explanation is feeble, no one suspects that Yang Zhenshan is engaging in any wrongdoing.

The basic training of the second batch of soldiers quickly got on track, and the live combat training for the first batch of Camp Soldiers has also begun.

Compared to basic training, live combat training is unintentionally more responsible and more arduous.

The so-called live combat training is not simply about combat training, but includes training in various military skills, such as reading and writing, drawing maps, surveillance and tracking, and of course, training in combat skills like riding, archery, saber skill, and spear technique.

Live combat training is a long-term training, not something that can be completed in a short time.

And with the unfolding of live combat training, the Guardian Department needs to prepare even more things.

For example, in reading and writing, Yang Zhenshan was even generous enough to distribute pens, ink, paper, and inkstones to every soldier; soldiers practiced writing using slate and limestone, and the Guardian Department needed to prepare slates and limestone strips.

Like practicing riding skills, there need to be battle horses, and for archery, there need to be bows and arrows.

These are all things that the Guardian Department needs to prepare in advance.

Inside the department’s study room.

Yang Zhenshan sat behind the desk, looking at the account books handed over by Zhou Ren and Lu Wenhua.

In just six months, the Guardian Department had spent over a hundred thousand taels of silver, a considerably high expenditure.

The key is that these expenses are just incidental expenses, such as distributing monthly money and provisions to soldiers and workers, buying cotton fabric and meat for the soldiers, and so on.

The real bulk of the expenses is yet to come.

“How are the matters relating to purchasing battle horses going?” Yang Zhenshan asked.

Lu Wenhua replied, “My lord, currently we have contacted over a dozen horse merchants and have reserved one thousand three hundred forty-two battle horses, and ten thousand bundles of horse feed. In the next half month, these battle horses and horse feeds will be delivered one after another!”

When Chongshan Town annihilated the East Sea Hu Clan, they acquired a large number of battle horses, and occupying the Northern territories afterwards also generated a large number of horse breeders and horse merchants.

Merchants chase profits, and officials also profit under the guise of merchants; many places in the vast Northern lands are very suitable for breeding horses, therefore, in just one year, horse farms sprouted in the Northern lands like bamboo shoots after the rain.

And the court also holds a supportive attitude towards this, as Da Rong is overall still lacking horses. Now having a territory suitable for horse breeding, naturally, they would strongly support horse breeding.

Therefore, buying a large number of battle horses from Chongshan Town is not a difficult task.

Not to mention, Yang Zhenshan has many connections in Chongshan Town, so it’s quite easy to contact some horse merchants.

“Mm, we need to strictly inspect the battle horses and horse feed being delivered, we don’t want any inferior horses or spoiled horse feed!” Yang Zhenshan said.

“Don’t worry, my lord, we have already hired more than a dozen horse handlers, who will strictly check the quality of the battle horses and horse feed upon their arrival!” Lu Wenhua smiled.

Horse handlers, the Yang family is never short of them.

Although the Yang family’s horse farm is still in An Yuan City, it’s very easy to invite some horse handlers over from the horse farm.

Horse handlers are also technical talents; horse breeding is a technical job, and Yang Zhenshan has always valued technical talent, which is why the Yang family horse farm has always cultivated horse handlers.

Yang Zhenshan slightly nodded, considering whether to build another horse farm in the Tenglong Guard.

This horse farm isn’t for the Yang family, but for the Guardian Department.

Times are different; at the time in An Yuan City, he only had a few hundred Cavalry and battle horses, which could all be supported.

But in the Tenglong Guard, in the future, he plans to build up five thousand Cavalry, and just maintaining five thousand battle horses is not a small matter, not to mention he also needs to consider subsequent replenishment of the battle horses.

After pondering for a moment, he decided it’s better to build a horse farm.

“You two find some time to look around the city for a suitable location to build a horse farm!”

“At least a horse farm capable of sustaining two thousand horses!”

Yang Zhenshan instructed.

“Yes!” The two responded.

The horse farm can be rented to the Yang family, who will be responsible for breeding the horses and then sell them to the Tenglong Guard. If later Yang Zhenshan leaves Tenglong Guard, then the horse farm will be left to Tenglong Guard directly.

This way, the Yang family can earn money through the horse farm, and Tenglong Guard will have its own horse farm, able to replenish battle horses at any time, benefiting both parties.

Well, although it seems a bit like exploiting his authority for personal gain, Yang Zhenshan is going to invest Spiritual Spring Water in the horse farm, matter can’t be without benefits.

He has already been very selfless, providing Spiritual Spring Water for free to his soldiers, should he also provide it free to the battle horses?

“What is the situation with the salt field?” Yang Zhenshan asked again.

“It’s very good!” Zhou Ren’s eyes lit up and said, “We’re currently drying the third batch of salt, and the second batch sold for three hundred eighty taels!”

The first batch sold for over two hundred taels, and the second batch sold for three hundred eighty taels.

Such improvement is already very substantial, but there is still a huge room for improvement in the salt field. As the workers in the salt field become more adept at the salt-drying technique, the production of the salt field will further increase and the efficiency of salt drying will also improve.

Also, the salt field will continue to be expanded, and once the expansion is completed, the output of the salt field will double.

Now Zhou Ren is very optimistic about the salt field and often visits there to inspect.

Yang Zhenshan, however, wasn’t surprised; all these were within his expectations.

The more he understands about Da Rong’s salt industry, the clearer it becomes how profitable the salt trade is.