Chapter 279: 270 Previously, this General slaughtered tens of thousands of Hu Clan members.

Chapter 279: Chapter 270 Previously, this General slaughtered tens of thousands of Hu Clan members.

“I have a question for you!”

“What is the connection between your Lan family and the Prince Qing Mansion?”

Yang Zhenshan asked.

Lan Buqi shuddered, while waves of turmoil flickered in Lan Buzheng’s eyes.

“So you are unwilling to confess?” Yang Zhenshan said.

Lan Buqi showed a bitter expression, “General, our Lan family has no connections with Prince Qing!”

Hearing Yang Zhenshan’s question, he understood why Yang Zhenshan would come to Tenglong Guard!

Before, he was puzzled why Emperor Chengping decreed Yang Zhenshan as the Commander of Tenglong Guard, but now he finally understood!

It was for Prince Qing!

“No connections?” Yang Zhenshan was slightly surprised.

“Our Lan family rose to prominence forty years ago!” Lan Buqi said with a somewhat hoarse voice.

Yang Zhenshan suddenly realized.

Indeed, the Lan family had come to Qinghua Prefecture a hundred years ago, and through the efforts of three generations, they rose rapidly starting about forty years ago.

Prince Qing was ennobled thirty years ago, and he was only five or six years old at that time.

By the time Prince Qing grew up, the Lan family had already dominated Tenglong Guard.

“He must have tried to win you over?” Yang Zhenshan continued to ask.

“Yes, but we refused!” Lan Buqi said.

Yang Zhenshan nodded slightly, “Then how much do you know about Prince Qing, or let’s say, do you know any secrets about Prince Qing? I think you should understand what I mean!”

Lan Buqi fell silent, but Lan Buzheng spoke, “We know a little, but what can we get in return?”

“You don’t have the right to negotiate terms now!”

“Yes, we do. We have something you want! That’s our bargaining chip!” Lan Buzheng said calmly.

The corners of Yang Zhenshan’s mouth raised slightly; this guy was indeed smart.

But unfortunately, it seemed he was a bit too confident!

“Have you forgotten something?”

“What?” Lan Buzheng asked.

Yang Zhenshan bared a smile, “Previously, this General slaughtered tens of thousands from the Hu Clan, and these Hu included grown men, the elderly, women, and children!”

“Your youngest son is only seven years old this year, right?”

As he spoke, he also stuck out his tongue and licked his lips, as if he was talking about something delicious.

Lan Buzheng became completely rigid and could no longer maintain his previous composure.

His temperament was certainly steady, able to remain calm in the face of anything, stronger in this aspect than Lan Buqi.

But faced with Yang Zhenshan, looking at that faintly smiling face and listening to those calmly spoken words, his composure completely dissipated like smoke.

“You!” Anger showed on Lan Buzheng’s face.

He was a man who could be ruthless to anyone, but he had great affection for his own children.

“Speak up, tell us everything you know.” Yang Zhenshan was indifferent to his anger and said calmly.

Lan Buqi sighed weakly, glanced at Lan Buzheng, and finally spoke, “We don’t know much, we only know that Prince Qing Mansion has many merchant ships.”

“Merchant ships!”

Yang Zhenshan’s eyebrows raised; this information was somewhat useful.

Qinghua Prefecture was by the sea, with many fishermen in the coastal areas, so it was not surprising that Prince Qing Mansion had merchant ships.

“What are his merchant ships used for?” Yang Zhenshan asked.

“We don’t know; our Lan family has always stayed away from Prince Qing Mansion!” Lan Buqi said in a deep voice.

For local officials and prominent families, a Prince often represented trouble, and most people would keep their distance, preferring not to deal with them if possible.

“Where do they anchor these merchant ships?” Yang Zhenshan continued to ask.

“At Prince Qing’s Guard Department, which is located by the seaside, and there’s also a part of the Navy there,” Lan Buqi said.

Yang Zhenshan nodded slightly, and then fell into deep thought.

Prince Qing’s merchant ships could be of two types: warships or merchant vessels.

If they were warships, since Prince Qing’s Guard Department had the Navy, there was no need to hide, and they could go to sea openly and aboveboard.

But if they were merchant vessels, then they might be involved in some unsavory activities.

Da Rong’s maritime trade was not thriving, but there were still many sea merchants, especially in the Jiangnan and southeastern regions where there were many wealthy sea merchants.

As for the North, there were also some sea merchants, but mostly concentrated in the Jin Hai area. Although the Liaodong Region was coastal, there were not many sea merchants.

The reason for this was because the Liaodong Region was poor, and very few wealthy merchants had the capacity to build merchant ships, establish a fleet, and engage in sea trade.

Prince Qing making money off maritime trade was not an issue, but would he honestly just do business?

After contemplating briefly, Yang Zhenshan gathered his thoughts.

Now was not the time to target Prince Qing. His current urgent task was to establish the framework for Tenglong Guard and then train an elite force.

Standing up, Yang Zhenshan looked at the three Lan brothers again, “You know best what you have done. Rest assured, this General will act according to the court’s laws!”

Finishing his words, he didn’t wait for the brothers’ reaction and turned to leave the room.

While Yang Zhenshan was meeting with the three Lan brothers, in the study of Prince Qing’s King City, Prince Qing also received the news that the Lan family had been taken down.

After listening to the report from his subordinate, the corners of Prince Qing’s mouth raised slightly, “This General Yang’s methods are truly fierce!”

“This Prince originally thought he would be entangled with the Lan family for a long time, but I didn’t expect that in just one day, he took down the Lan family!”

The robust man standing before him, however, frowned deeply, “Prince, your subordinate feels that we should get rid of Yang Zhenshan sooner rather than later. If he really trains Tenglong Guard, he may become a major threat to his Highness in the future!”

The more formidable Yang Zhenshan appears, the greater the threat to Prince Qing.

Prince Qing naturally understands this fact; he merely sighs softly, “We have no way to deal with him now!”

Executing Yang Zhenshan is not an option. Should Yang Zhenshan die, Emperor Chengping would surely trust him even less and might even confine him or summon him to the Capital City to keep an eye on him, which would be even more disadvantageous for him.

As for other methods, be it forming alliances, intimidation, or bribery?

Prince Qing has thought of these, but after analyzing Yang Zhenshan, he is certain he is not a man easily dealt with.

Recalling Yang Zhenshan’s past in his mind, Prince Qing feels like he is facing a hedgehog.

Not only is there nowhere to start, but he must also be careful not to get pricked by him.

“Forget it, let us proceed with our plan. As for the Tenglong Guard, you just need to keep an eye on them!” Prince Qing ultimately gives up on dealing with Yang Zhenshan.

Although Yang Zhenshan may become a hindrance to him in the future, for now, Yang Zhenshan is not yet able to affect him.

He needs time to lay out his plans; compared to dealing with Yang Zhenshan, the schemes he is enacting are far more crucial.

At this moment, Yang Zhenshan is unaware of Prince Qing’s thoughts; if he knew, it would probably lighten his heart quite a bit.

After meeting with the three Lan brothers, Yang Zhenshan arrives at the study in the Front Office.

Zhou Ren and Lu Wenhua have already tidied up his study, and he can now work within the government office.

“My lord, the assets of the Lan family have been organized for your review!”

Just as Yang Zhenshan takes his seat in the study, Zhou Ren comes in, carrying a document.

Zhou Ren’s capability is quite commendable. In just a day and a night, he has tallied up the Lan family’s assets.

Yang Zhenshan begins to examine the document.

There is quite a bit listed, including the Lan family’s fertile lands, tenant farmers, servants, house servants, treasures of gold and silver, grains, and real estate properties, among others.

Fertile land, 180,600 mu.

Tenant households, 2,320.

Servants within the mansion, 765 people; house servants, 368 people.

Gold, approximately 38,000 taels.

Silver, approximately 220,000 taels.

Copper Coin, about 34,000 strings.

Estates, seven; shops, twenty-three.

Grain in sixteen warehouses!

Yang Zhenshan raises his head in astonishment, “Grain in sixteen warehouses?”

“Yes, my lord, I have just checked; the warehouses are full!” Zhou Ren says.

Yang Zhenshan’s mouth twitches slightly.

He had seen the Lan family’s grain supplies before; they were located to the east of the Lan family’s mansion, with sixteen granaries built of green bricks. From the surface, they seem small, but Yang Zhenshan knows they are underground silos, similar to the ones used by the official granaries in Da Rong.

“If I am not mistaken, one underground silo can store ten thousand shi of grain, right?” Yang Zhenshan says somewhat dryly.

Zhou Ren nods repeatedly, “My lord is correct, each is a silo that can store ten thousand shi!”

Yang Zhenshan draws a sharp breath. Sixteen silos, doesn’t that mean 160,000 shi?

How much grain is that?

However, considering the Lan family owns one hundred thousand mu of fertile land, with each producing two to three shi of grain, minus the share given to the tenant farmers, the remainder indeed roughly totals 160,000 shi.

And don’t forget that the Lan family also controls the grain trade of the Tenglong Guard.

“Damn, the Lan family really are despicable!”

Yang Zhenshan can’t help but curse.

The wealthier the Lan family is, the more it suggests they’ve plundered from the Tenglong Guard.

The Lan family has so much grain, yet the military households of the Tenglong Guard can’t even get enough to eat.

Huff~~

Yang Zhenshan exhales deeply, saying, “Hand this over to Xie Yuan, have him draft a report to the Central Army Commander’s Mansion exactly as it is. Also, mention to Song Dashan to arrange for someone to guard this gold, silver, and grain for me.”

The amount is too large; Yang Zhenshan has no choice but to report it.

“My lord, report it exactly as it is?” Zhou Ren asks in surprise.

“Mmm, report it exactly as it is. The grain is negotiable, but we can’t handle so much gold and silver on our own!” Yang Zhenshan nods firmly.

In theory, as the Commander of the Tenglong Guard, he could handle the Lan family’s case within the scope of his authority since the Lan family was part of the military households of the Tenglong Guard, and the highest rank they held in the Tenglong Guard were just a few households.

It was within his power to handle a few households; all that was needed was to report to the Central Army Commander’s Mansion and the Ministry of Criminal Justice afterward.

However, dealing with so much gold and silver requires extra caution.

Especially since he has just assumed office, and the old Emperor might have arranged for someone to watch him.

The old Emperor likely wouldn’t surveil him, but he would certainly pay attention to him.

In any case, being cautious never leads to mistakes.

The higher the office, the greater the authority, the more cautious one must be.

And now, having caught the eye of the old Emperor, he must be even more cautious in his actions.

The old Emperor is capable of killing, and Yang Zhenshan maintains a respectful fear of him, worried that the old Emperor might chop off his head.

“Yes, I will go to Mr. Xie and Mr. Song right away!” Zhou Ren sees that Yang Zhenshan’s mind is made up and says no more.

Once Zhou Ren leaves the study, Yang Zhenshan reflects for a moment and decides to write a memorial to the old Emperor.

This is his second time writing a memorial; the last was after receiving the imperial edict when he wrote a memorial of gratitude.

However, a memorial of gratitude is just a formality; the old Emperor probably wouldn’t look at it closely.

But this memorial is different; he needs to write in detail about the situation of the Tenglong Guard, the Lan family’s situation, and the gold, silver, and grain seized from the Lan family.

After all, having waved the old Emperor’s banner, he should give an account to the old Emperor.