Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 232: Chapter 223: Simpleton Song Dashan

A solemn meeting came to an end, and Yang Zhenshan did not linger in Jia City, immediately rushing back to An Yuan City.

After returning to An Yuan City, Yang Zhenshan threw himself into the preparations for the military campaign.

In fact, there wasn’t much left to prepare. The preparations had been underway since before the end of last year by the garrison office, and by now almost everything that needed to be ready was ready. What remained was to strengthen the training of the soldiers.

However, spring farming was about to begin. While the military campaign was important, the spring farming could not be delayed.

So, what Yang Zhenshan needed to do was to ensure that spring farming could be finished smoothly without affecting the campaign.

Time passed day by day, and Yang Zhenshan was constantly shuttling between the City Gate Castle and the garrisons outside the city.

While urging the spring farming work on one hand, he trained with the soldiers of the garrison on the other.

As March approached, spring farming started to appear on the agenda, and likewise, the time for the military campaign was soon to come.

That day, Yang Zhenshan inspected the training of the soldiers within the City Gate Castle.

He watched the mighty soldiers with great satisfaction in his heart.

After nearly three years of training, the soldiers of the garrison had become the elite of the elite, and what they lacked was only combat experience.

Taking them to the battlefield to draw blood, they would become devils that the enemy would dread at the mere mention.

Yang Zhenshan was very confident in them, and they were very confident in him too.

After the inspection, Yang Zhenshan returned to the hall with Han Cheng and Song Dashan.

Currently, the garrison had one thousand commander, which was Han Cheng, and two Bazong were Song Dashan and Yang Mingzhen.

After Wang Sheng left, Yang Mingzhen was promoted to Hundred Households Bazong.

And now, among the disciples of the Yang family under Yang Zhenshan’s command, Yang Mingzhen was also a key figure he was focusing on cultivating.

Yang Mingzhen was the oldest among the batch of Yang family disciples recommended by Yang Zhengxiang when Yang Zhenshan was still in Yinghe Castle.

He was twenty-eight this year, with a cultivation that had reached the Postnatal Third Layer.

In terms of temperament, he did not possess the same steadiness and solidity as Yang Mingwu, but was somewhat similar to Yang Mingzhi; lively-hearted, clever and nimble in handling affairs.

Now Yang Mingzhen was already bearing the weight of major responsibilities in the garrison, and was basically in charge of training matters.

Song Dashan was mainly responsible for city defense duties, coordinating the patrolling and shift-changing of the soldiers, and recently also working with Xie Yuan to take over the city defense affairs.

While Han Cheng took charge of the overall coordination, ensuring the logistical needs of the garrison.

As for Yang Zhenshan, he would not interfere in the specific affairs, what he needed to do was to check for oversights and prevent any mistakes from Han Cheng and the others.

This was actually a characteristic of Yang Zhenshan’s way of doing things.

He always tried his best to disengage from specific affairs, believing that, as a leader, the most important thing was to utilize people properly.

He would only initiate matters; subsequent affairs would be handed over to his subordinates to handle.

Of course, he was not one to shirk responsibilities; he would ensure proper oversight and still needed to coordinate relationships with various parties, such as Songzhou Guard, Military Equipment Department, Assistant General Mansion, and other government offices.

In the hall, Yang Zhenshan, Han Cheng, and Song Dashan took their seats while Han Fei promptly served tea.

Han Cheng gave a glance at his son, smiled, but did not speak.

Han Fei had been following Yang Zhenshan for more than two years, and Han Cheng had seen his son’s changes throughout these years.

To be honest, he was extremely grateful for his choice back then.

As a father, he hoped his son would have a better future.

Though Han Fei did not currently hold an official position, he had already attained the Postnatal Third Layer in cultivation, and would surely surpass him in the future. In terms of his conduct and manner, Han Fei had inherited Yang Zhenshan’s genuine style, every action carried a shadow of Yang Zhenshan.

He believed Han Fei’s future would undoubtedly far exceed his own.

”Dashan, Song Hao’s marriage matters haven’t been settled yet, have they?”

Taking a breather from his busy schedule, Yang Zhenshan brought up family matters.

Song Dashan was taken aback, ”I guess not yet!”

His wife was handling this matter; recently busy with official duties, he did not have the leisure to attend to family affairs.

”Heh, you, you really don’t care about your own son!” Yang Zhenshan stroked his beard, saying with a chuckle.

Song Dashan smiled sheepishly.

Care about his son!

Isn’t a son there to be disciplined? Does he need care?

Han Cheng peeked at Song Dashan, then at Yang Zhenshan, and suddenly had a speculation in his mind, unable to help feeling envious of Song Dashan.

Actually, this matter was not hard to guess; since Yang Zhenshan had brought up Song Hao’s marital affairs, he must have had some thoughts on his mind.

The news of the Yang family’s recent engagement with the Marquis Mansion was no secret; the Yang family’s second young miss was already engaged, leaving only one person.

Wang Yunqiao.

As a subordinate of Yang Zhenshan, Han Cheng naturally knew about the Yang family’s situation.

Han Cheng had already guessed it, but Song Dashan still hadn’t caught on, continuing to smile sheepishly.

This fellow was just like this—naively simple, give him a task and he would perform it earnestly, but if you start playing mind games or acting coy with him, it would be like playing the lute to a cow.

Yang Zhenshan felt somewhat helpless and could only say, ”Yunqiao has also reached the age for talking about marriage!”

However, Song Dashan still didn’t catch on and instead said, ”Miss Yunqiao is smart and clever; whoever marries her will be extremely fortunate!”

And then there was no follow-up.

Very well, at least he knows to speak good words.

Yang Zhenshan felt the urge to facepalm, thinking that perhaps this matter should be handled by Yu Qingyi, as it was simply impossible to get through to Song Dashan.

”You, oh you, sigh~~”

Yang Zhenshan really didn’t know what to say.

He couldn’t just say it outright.

Yun Qiao is a girl and must be reserved when it comes to marriage matters.

Even if he intended to have Yun Qiao marry Song Hao, he couldn’t go begging Song Dashan.

It should be the Song family coming to ask for her hand in marriage, not the Yang family offering their daughter.

Yang Zhenshan walked away with a flick of his sleeves, leaving Song Dashan bewildered, but he could still see the displeasure on Yang Zhenshan’s face.

”What’s the matter, sir?” asked Song Dashan to Han Cheng standing beside him.

Han Cheng coughed lightly and reminded, ”This is something you should discuss with your wife back home!”

However, he couldn’t say too much, after all, nothing had been decided yet. If he spoke out of turn, wouldn’t he be asking for trouble?

So, this was something Song Dashan had to figure out on his own.

Having said that, he walked out of the main hall, tucking his hands into his sleeves.

Song Dashan was perplexed, how is this related to my wife?

Although he was still confused, Song Dashan had an advantage that he had a good wife and he tended to listen to her.

The decision to follow Yang Zhenshan to An Yuan City was initially made by his wife.

In the evening, after Song Dashan returned home, he immediately relayed everything Yang Zhenshan had said to his wife.

”Wife, what does Master Yang mean, and why is he angry?”

After repeating the conversation, Song Dashan earnestly asked.

Mrs. Li of the Song family looked at Song Dashan as if looking at an idiot, ”You really are a blockhead!”

”Why would you scold me, wife?” Song Dashan was a bit upset.

Mrs. Li not only scolded him, she also picked up a rolling pin and struck him hard, exclaiming, ”You have a head made of elm wood!”

Mrs. Li knew her husband very well and was used to Song Dashan’s temperament. Yet every time Song Dashan was foolish, she couldn’t help but want to scold and hit someone.

”Alright, just leave this matter be!” Mrs. Li really didn’t want to explain to Song Dashan.

Song Dashan looked at his wife, and after thinking for a while, said, ”Okay then, I’ll go practice my cultivation for a while!”

Soon, he tossed the matter to the back of his mind.

His practice was not to dwell on things he couldn’t understand and to earnestly do what others instructed him to do.

Of course, there weren’t many people who could order him around, currently, only his wife and Yang Zhenshan, and for others, he had his own way and sense of right and wrong to assess.

It’s just that his assessments and judgments were only surface-level.

Song Dashan was somewhat foolish, but not completely, the most crucial point being that he had a good wife.

He might have put the matter aside, but Mrs. Li had not.

The next morning, Mrs. Li brought Song Hao to the Yang family to visit Yu Qingyi.

Marrying into the Yang family was something Mrs. Li had never even dared to dream of before.

Their family’s prosperity was all thanks to Yang Zhenshan’s support.

Without Yang Zhenshan, Song Dashan might still be just a small flag at best.

Now that Mrs. Li knew Yang Zhenshan intended to betroth Wang Yunqiao to Song Hao, she felt as if blessings had fallen from the sky.

There was mutual affection between Song Hao and Wang Yunqiao, and although they had long fancied each other, customs had compelled them to hide their feelings.

Now that the elders from both sides had agreed to the marriage, both Song Hao and Wang Yunqiao were overjoyed.

The marriage proceedings progressed rapidly, much simpler than the marital arrangements for Liang Jinyan and Yang Yunxue, as the Marquis Mansion had higher stature with many more rules and rituals.

The Yang and Song families were much less particular, and after Yu Qingyi and Mrs. Li negotiated, the rest was just a formality.

Of course, Yang Zhenshan’s rules could not be broken.

Daughters of the Yang family ought to marry only after the age of sixteen, and even though Wang Yunqiao was not a daughter of the Yang family, Yang Zhenshan had raised her like one, thus insisting she should also marry after turning sixteen.

While the Yang and Song families were agreeing on the marriage between Wang Yunqiao and Song Hao, a military order for the campaign against the East Sea Hu Clan from Chongshan Town came through.

The twenty-ninth year of tranquil peace, the eighth day of the fourth month.

A troop of cavalry arrived at the An Yuan City garrison office from Jia City.

”Master Yang, this is the military order!”

A resolute-faced man personally handed a document to Yang Zhenshan.

Yang Zhenshan took a deep breath, accepted the document, and said indifferently, ”Your efforts are appreciated.”

”No trouble at all, since the military order has been delivered, we will take our leave now!”

The group of cavalry arrived quickly and departed just as swiftly, staying in the garrison office for less than a quarter of an hour before hurrying off.

Yang Zhenshan didn’t attempt to keep them, well aware that those cavalry had other cities to deliver military orders to.

In the main hall, Yang Zhenshan opened the delivered document.

Reading the content, a bright smile appeared on his face.

”How interesting, how interesting, haha~~”

He hadn’t expected to receive such a military order, nor had he anticipated the campaign plan established by Lu Chongde and Liang Chu would be of this nature.

It was far beyond his predictions, and surely beyond everyone else’s as well.

But it truly was an excellent plan.

Yang Zhenshan, excitedly looking at the content of the military order, couldn’t help himself from being stirred up.