Chapter 407 Taking Charge of Chongshan Town

Everyone went about their business, but Yang Chengye and Yang Chengmao did not leave. Yang Zhengshan looked at his two grandsons with his eyes full of kindness.

Yang Chengye is already fifteen years old this year and just became a warrior two months ago.

As the eldest grandson of the Yang family, Yang Chengye's status is no longer what it used to be.

Yang Zhengshan, the hereditary Marquis of Jing'an, will definitely pass the title to Yang Mingcheng and Yang Chengye in the future.

In the future, Yang Chengye will at least be a second-class Earl of Jing'an.

Although it is too early to say this now, Yang Chengye's identity has changed a lot.

Yang Chengmao is thirteen years old this year, and in a few years it will be time for him to get married and have children.

"Come here, let me see if you have learned anything from your recent practice!" Yang Zhengshan waved his hand and asked Yang Chengye to come over.

Yang Chengye came to Yang Zhengshan respectfully, and Yang Zhengshan stretched out his hand and pinched him a few times.

Ah!
With strong bones, firm skin and flesh, a calm aura and a full spirit, he is indeed the body of a warrior.

Looking at Yang Chengye's figure, well, Yang Chengye perfectly inherited the body shapes of Yang Mingcheng and Wang. He was only fifteen years old, but his height was nearly 1.8 meters, which made him no shorter than Yang Zhengshan.

What’s more important is that Yang Chengye is exceptionally tall and strong, with broad shoulders and a big waist.

Needless to say, Yang Mingcheng's figure is already considered burly, while Wang's figure has been developing horizontally. Although she doesn't look very fat due to her martial arts training, she is also broad-shouldered and thick-bellied.

With such parents, one can imagine Yang Chengye's figure.

In comparison, Yang Chengmao looks thinner and has the temperament of a young man.

"Yes, now that you are a warrior, you should work harder in the future!" Yang Zhengshan urged.

"Grandson will continue to work hard!" Yang Chengye grinned.

Yang Zhengshan looked at his eldest grandson and felt more and more satisfied.

There are huge differences between the second and third generations of the Yang family.

The three brothers Yang Mingcheng all achieved remarkable success in martial arts, but in terms of knowledge, only Yang Mingzhi was more studious and could be considered to have some knowledge.

Compared with them, the third generation of the Yang family were all well educated. In terms of martial arts, Yang Zhengshan taught them personally, and there were many martial artists in the family who gave them guidance. In terms of knowledge, because of Lin Zhan, Yang Chengye and Yang Chengmao also studied since childhood.

I dare not say that they can become all-rounders in both civil and military affairs, but the resources they get are definitely far more than those of Yang Mingcheng and his two brothers, and their future achievements will definitely be higher than those of Yang Mingcheng and his two brothers.

Apart from anything else, they grew up drinking spiritual spring water, so their potential and qualifications far exceed those of Yang Mingcheng and his two brothers.

Looking at the tall Yang Chengye, Yang Zhengshan turned to Yu Qingyi and said, "Chengye is also old enough to get married, you should arrange it during this time!"

As soon as these words came out, Yang Chengye's face immediately turned red.

The young boy already knows about matters between men and women.

Yu Qingyi smiled and said, "Master, you don't have to worry about it. The threshold of our house has been almost trampled by matchmakers recently! There are already more than a dozen matchmakers who have come to inquire about Chengye's marriage!"

Yang Zhengshan was stunned, but he soon understood.

Although he was a famous military commander in the past, Yang Chengye was not very popular in marriage matters because Yang Mingcheng had no official status.

In addition, they lived in Tenglongwei, so naturally there were very few matchmakers who could come to their door.

But now that Yang Zhengshan has a title, and Yang Chengye is the eldest grandson, he will at least be a second-class earl in the future. Such identities will naturally attract a lot of attention in matters of marriage.

That is to say, the Yang family is now in Chongshan Pass. If they were in Kyoto, more people would come to inquire about Yang Chengye.

"Yes, that's right. However, the granddaughter-in-law of our Yang family must be virtuous and kind. At the very least, she must have some ability. She can't be too weak. You can ask around and see if there is anyone suitable!"

Yang Zhengshan said as he looked at Yang Chengmao again, "Chengmao will get married in a few years, so we can settle the marriage now!"

The third generation of the Yang family has grown up. Chengye is fifteen years old, Chengmao is thirteen years old, Mingzhe and Wanqing are twelve years old, Jiang Ning is ten years old, Chengxian is nine years old, and Wanting is eight years old. They are all about to get married.

"Well, it's time to prepare. The eldest brother's wife is worried lately!" Yu Qingyi said.

"What are you worried about?" Yang Zhengshan asked.

"The eldest brother's wife wants to visit Kyoto!" Yu Qingyi said.

Yang Zhengshan suddenly realized.

Wang's thoughts were simple. Yang Chengye's identity had changed, so Wang naturally looked down on these young ladies from official families in Liaodong and Chongshan Town. She definitely wanted to find a wife for Yang Chengye who was from a noble family.

This is normal. Marriage between men and women requires a good match between the two families, especially since Yang Chengye is the eldest grandson of the Yang family, so this point should be paid more attention to.

Don't say that the Wang family is snobbish. For a family, being well-matched is very important, and in-laws represent a family alliance.

Even Yang Zhengshan had to consider these things.

Although he has never cared about these things, in fact, the Yang family has always taken the factor of equal status into consideration in all marriage arrangements over the years.

This happened imperceptibly, and Yang Zhengshan's ideas also changed imperceptibly.

"Go to Kyoto!" Yang Zhengshan thought for a moment and said, "It would be a good idea for you to go there!"

The social interactions between women are different from those between men. The topics discussed between men are mostly about state affairs, while the topics discussed between women are mostly about their children's marriages.

In Kyoto, people often hold backyard gatherings such as flower-viewing parties and tea-tasting parties. The purpose is to allow families to meet their young people of marriageable age and discuss marriage matters.

Simply put, it is a series of blind date conferences.

The Yang family was a new noble family, but they had always lived in Liaodong and Chongshan Town, so they rarely attended backyard banquets. However, if the Yang family wanted to mix in the circle of Kyoto in the future, they would definitely have to attend such banquets. Yang Zhengshan thought it would be a good idea to let Yu Qingyi and Wang go to Kyoto to take a look.

"Is it appropriate?" Yu Qingyi hesitated.

"If there's anything inappropriate, don't forget that Yunxue is still in Kyoto. With her help, you should be able to get familiar with the situation in Kyoto quickly!"

"How about this, let's set it for the beginning of next year. Lin Zhan also wants to go to Beijing to take the exam, so you two can go together!"

Yang Zhengshan said.

The matter was temporarily settled. Yang Zhengshan was determined to have the Yang family penetrate into the noble and official circles in Kyoto, so naturally he had to go to Kyoto more often.

In the evening, the Yang family's family dinner was very lively.

Except for Yang Yunxue who was far away in Kyoto and Yang Mingzhi who went to Fuzhou City, almost all the members of the Yang family were present, even Wang Yunqiao and Song Hao.

But for the Yang family, more exciting things are yet to come.

With Yang Zhengshan's return, officials of all ranks in Chongshan Town came to congratulate Yang Zhengshan on his title of nobility.

Pang Tang, Niu Zhuang, Tang Feihu, Xie Yuan, Han Cheng and others all came running.

Yang Zhengshan was officially promoted from General Yang to Marquis.

The Yang family also became a marquisate, and the only marquisate in Chongshan Town.

However, this excitement was quickly suppressed by Yang Zhengshan.

They were all acquaintances, and Yang Zhengshan was too lazy to be polite with them. He hosted a banquet and entertained everyone, and then it was time to end it.

After that, Yang Zhengshan focused on his official duties.

The court's rewards to the soldiers of Tenglong Guard and Chongshan Town were gradually implemented.

Following Yang Zhengshan's proposal, the Tenglong Guard was split into the Tenglong Four Guards, with four guard command offices in the front, back, left and right.

Yu Tonghai was appointed as the commander of the Tenglong Vanguard and built the headquarters of the Guard around the former Tenglong Guard Wharf.

Wu Chongzhe was appointed commander of the Tenglong Guard. The original Tenglong Guard's city wall belonged to the Tenglong Guard, and the salt field also belonged to the Tenglong Guard.

Han Cheng was appointed commander of the Tenglong Left Guard, and Zhang Yuanwu was appointed commander of the Tenglong Right Guard. One thousand households were selected to build new castles for these two guards.

The merchant ships that originally belonged to the Tenglong Guard were divided into four fleets by Yang Zhengshan, one fleet for each guard.

Although the Tenglong Guards are divided into four guards, they are still a whole. The fleet needs navy escort when going out to sea, and commercial transactions require the support of the other three guards.

Haimao tied the four guards together tightly.

As for the taxation of private merchant ships, Yang Zhengshan handed it over to the court.

The court will set up the Liaodong Shipping Bureau in Liao'an Prefecture, and all merchant ships entering and leaving Tenglongwei will pay taxes to the Liaodong Shipping Bureau in the future.

There is no way around it. With the growth and development of Tenglongwei's maritime trade, it has affected the income of Jizhou Shipping Bureau, and the court will not allow Tenglongwei to occupy such a big piece of fat, so it is inevitable for the court to intervene in Tenglongwei's maritime trade.

However, Yang Zhengshan also gained a little benefit for Tenglongwei, that is, the tax levied by Liaodong Shipping Company on Tenglongwei's maritime trade would be reduced by 50%, which is half of the tax levied by other shipping companies.

This was something Yang Zhengshan had fought for from Emperor Chengping, as it would preserve a slight advantage for Tenglongwei's maritime trade.

In Chongshan Town, all the soldiers of the original Tenglong Guard returned to Tenglong Guard, and the Five Army Camp would remain in Chongshan Pass as the foundation of the town's standard camp.

Niuzhuang was appointed as the Lieutenant General of Jianning Guard in the Central Route in his capacity as the Deputy Commander-in-Chief.

Tang Feihu also served as the Lieutenant General of Jinzhou Guard in the Central Route with the position of Duzhi Tongzhi.

These two people were only promoted one level in rank, from assistant commander-in-chief to deputy commander-in-chief, but their actual positions were not promoted.

Zhang Chengzhi, Qin He, Xie Yuan and Yang Mingzhi were appointed as the lieutenant general of Songzhou Guard in the east, the lieutenant general of Dingliao Guard in the south, the lieutenant general of Daning Guard in the west and the lieutenant general of Fuzhou Guard in the north respectively with the official title of deputy commander.

In addition, Song Dashan, Luo Feiyu, Yang Mingwu, Yang Mingzhen and Yang Chengze served as guerrilla generals of the five battalions in front, back, left, right and center of the town flag respectively.

Yang Minghao, Yang Chengxu, Han Fei, Yang Chengzhang, Zuo Wan and others served as the commanders of the fifth battalion of the town flag.

Zhou Ren entered the Dusi Yamen and served as an official of the sixth rank.

Lu Wenhua stayed in the general's mansion and served as Yang Zhengshan's assistant with the official position of sixth-rank governor.

Yang Zhengshan transferred Lu Wenchun from Yinghebao and appointed him as a judge at the sixth rank in the Dusi Yamen.

In recent years, Lu Wenchun has been serving as the governor of Yinghe Fort. The defense officers of Yinghe Fort have been replaced three times, but Lu Wenchun has been the governor for ten years. Now Lu Wenchun is nearly forty years old.

There was nothing that could be done about it. Although Lu Wenchun was the eldest grandson of the Lu family, his qualifications were not outstanding. He was neither good at literature nor martial arts. In addition, he was relatively old, so there was no suitable position for Yang Zhengshan to promote him.

Fortunately, he was calm and steady in his work, and Yang Zhengshan was in need of people at that time, so he transferred him to the Dusi Yamen.

As for why Yang Zhengshan arranged Zhou Ren and Lu Wenchun in the Dusi Yamen, it was because the Dusi Yamen was in charge of all the military households in Chongshan Town. Yang Zhengshan could not appoint a commander-in-chief, so he occupied the Experience Department and the Judgment Department of the Dusi Yamen first.

This is to prevent the court from sending a commander-in-chief who would be disobedient and affect his arrangements for Chongshan Town.

In contrast, Yang Zhengshan did not interfere too much in the provincial administration and the provincial judicial commissioner's office, as that was Pang Tang's area of ​​authority. Although Yang Zhengshan is now the Marquis of Jing'an, he cannot ignore Pang Tang's existence.

With this arrangement, Yang Zhengshan can firmly control the five battalions of the town flag, and have a strong control over the various lieutenant generals and the military offices.

Although he could not completely control Chongshan Town, he could ensure that his orders reached every corner of Chongshan Town.

With the arrival of various generals and the establishment of the framework of the town's five battalions, the situation in Chongshan Town stabilized.

(End of this chapter)