The Villain's Counterattack

Chapter 552: Lively Liaodong County Mansion

Zhuo County is not comparable to Liaodong. It is the territory of the Sui Dynasty. Although the powerful families are not strong, they have some influence. They are also neighbors with foreign races. The situation is complicated. Yang Xuyan is also a powerful man. When he heard that there was a rebellion, he immediately mobilized his entire army to sweep across the area.

Deploying troops in the northern winter was a taboo, but Yang Xuyan, unconventionally, assembled a powerful snow army and, deploying them in winter, ruthlessly defeated the rebels. However, the so-called rebels were led by a powerful and influential family, and Yang Xuyan, without questioning them, immediately killed and captured them.

They launched their rebellion before winter in order to gain a time advantage, hoping to consolidate their gains during the winter when they could not deploy troops, giving them enough time to make some minor moves and achieve their ulterior motives. Yang Xuyan's swift and decisive actions shattered many people's petty calculations and even shattered their dreams.

The price paid for starting a rebellion, even if it was just behind the scenes, was not small at all. The final result was nothing gained and a great defeat, which made things difficult for Yang Xuyan.

The rebels were wiped out, and except for those who were killed, all the others were demoted to slaves, ready for spring plowing and military settlement. It's not that there is no land in the north. In addition to private fields, there are also many wastelands. It's just that ordinary people are unable to cultivate and dare not open up wasteland for farming. Once they do so, they will inevitably be confiscated by the wealthy and powerful families. Not only will they lose the land and wealth, but they may also lose their lives.

But Yang Xuyan was different. As the Duke of Liaodong County, when he was in charge of Zhuo County, he ordered people to carefully investigate the household registration and land. All uninhabited land was assigned to the Liaodong County Government in preparation for the implementation of military settlement.

Yang Xuyan had already reported this matter to the Sui Emperor, and his reasons were very sufficient. The north was cold, poor, with insufficient food and fodder and a sparse population. The Duke of Liaodong wanted to use the army to open up wasteland and cultivate land to save himself. Although Yang Guang wanted to control the Liaodong army and strangle him with food and fodder, he could not bring it up openly and could only acquiesce.

Then I thought, if the soldiers all go to farm and stop training, can the Liaodong Army still be as strong and capable of fighting as before?

The answer is yes. Although Yang Xuyan called it a military settlement, in fact, the people who actually farmed the land were not the army, but the captured rebels and refugees, landless poor farmers, and escaped hidden households.

Liaodong is a special place. Yang Xuyan implemented military control and had a strict household registration system. Zhuo County had just experienced a rebellion, and Yang Xuyan took advantage of the situation to implement Liaodong's military control strategy, severely cracking down on private land and hidden households, causing many wealthy families and even landlords to suffer heavy losses. However, facing Yang Xuyan who had a large army, they were simply unable to resist.

Yang Xuyan used the rewards from the court and the spoils of the Battle of Yanmen to continuously recruit soldiers and horses. In one winter, he besieged Zhuo County. Checkpoints were set up on all the main roads, one for defense and security, and the other for taxation. Foreign trade has always been a highly profitable business, and Yang Xuyan was well aware of this, so he naturally would not let others get the advantage.

This move hit the soft spot of many wealthy families. At the beginning of spring, there was an endless stream of people coming and going in the Liaodong County Mansion, but only a few people could see Yang Xuyan. After all, he was no longer the Liaodong Marquis who had just entered the officialdom, but a frontier official who held military power and was in charge of two counties, the General Liaodong County Duke.

The Yuwen clan, the Li clan, the Cui family, the Wang family, the Li family, the Lu family, the Chai family, and the Xie family all came to visit, and anyone who was not a powerful figure was turned away. Only the Dugu family had no restrictions at all. After all, they came in the name of visiting their young lady, and it was difficult for the gatekeepers to stop them. Yang Xuyan had a close cooperation with the Dugu clan, so they were not subject to too many restrictions. As long as they followed the rules, everything would be fine.

Yuwen Shiji came to the Yuwen family. As the son-in-law of Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty, he came to Liaodong not only for the trade route of Zhuojun, but also to escort the little princess Yang Ruyi. For some unknown reason, Yang Guang did not grant him marriage, but sent the little princess directly to Liaodong to seek refuge with his distant cousin Yang Xuyan.

Looking at the cute little Loli in front of him, Yang Xuyan couldn't help but have a headache. This little girl was smart and clever. She had traveled around with Yang Guangdong since she was a child and was knowledgeable and not afraid of strangers. When she saw Yang Xuyan, she called him cousin in a sweet voice, and her big black eyes blinked and shone.

There are mostly men in the Duke of Liaodong's Mansion, but that doesn't mean there are no women. After Yang Guang granted the marriage, Yang Xuyan tried his best to get Shi Qingxuan home, but he didn't bring her home early. Then Wang Shichong sent Dong Shuni, and Taoist Bichen also sent his daughter Rong Jiaojiao to his home. With the addition of Dugu Feng, there was a bit of a pink atmosphere in the Duke's Mansion.

It happened that the rivers thawed in spring, and the little girl Shan Wanjing also took the boat to Liaodong. For a while, the entire Liaodong County Mansion became a little more lively.

"I'm a branch of the Yang family. If I'm being honest, I should call you brother-in-law." Facing Yuwen Shiji, Yang Xuyan was very calm. "Liaodong is a cold and harsh place with many mountains and rivers and few plains. The roads are difficult to travel. It's easy to attack and can be used as a rear base. Zhuojun is a key route connecting the north and the south to the outside world. It's a prime choice for commercial development. I can't let it go."

"What do you want?" Yuwen Shiji calmly picked up the teacup and carefully sipped the tea brewed by Yang Xuyan. After a few words of praise, he said, "The Sui Dynasty is dominated by aristocratic families and land is its foundation, but commerce is the greatest source of wealth. Domestic trade is not profitable, while trade with other ethnic groups is extremely profitable. If you cut off the traffic, you will inevitably offend many aristocratic families, and then..."

Yang Xuyan waved his hand and said, "I come from the Hongnong Yang family, so how could I not know the truth? I will definitely open up the trade routes. I can even say that for the development of Liaodong, I will promote trade and establish a market in Zhuojun to trade with foreign tribes. But Zhuojun is my territory after all, and my territory must be under my control. Aside from the land and wealth already owned by the aristocratic families, all other land, population, and military must be under my control."

"In the short term, Zhuo County will be under unified military control. Travel and communication will be regulated—not prohibited, just controlled. Residents will need household registration, travelers will need travel permits, and businesses will need receipts." Yang Xuyan outlined his demands, but Yuwen Shiji stopped him and suddenly asked, "What is a travel permit?"

"To talk about travel permits, we must first talk about the baojia system. Ten households form a jia, and ten jias form a bao. They work together to form a bao, and together they sign a bao agreement." Yang Xuyan briefly explained the household registration baojia system. Although it was cumbersome and complicated, it was currently the most suitable method for Zhuo County in Liaodong, which impressed Yuwen Shiji. "This method may be acceptable locally, but it is difficult to implement nationwide. It is difficult to control the wealthy and powerful families and the wandering martial arts world."

Yang Xuyan talked about the pass again. Yuwen Shiji had a very flexible mind and could easily think of many ways to avoid it. He had to admit that the method itself was still good. He couldn't help but secretly sigh that this boy was very talented. He was worthy of being Lord Pei's favorite student and son-in-law. It would be even better if he could become the son-in-law of the Yuwen family. It was a pity that he acted a step too late.

After bidding farewell to Yuwen Shiji, the Li family welcomed their legitimate sons, who turned out to be the second son Li Shimin and the eldest daughter Li Xiuning. The Battle of Yanmen ended too quickly due to Yang Xuyan's intervention, and Li Yuan did not have time to intervene before it ended, which made Li Shimin lose some achievements and he is still a commoner today.

"I'm not surprised that the Yuwen and Dugu clans came to visit. The Li clan guards Taiyuan and controls Shanxi, so why do they also want to leave from Zhuojun?" Yang Xuyan did not have much aversion to Li Shimin and Li Xiuning. Instead, he admired them a bit. After the greetings, he even called them cousins, which made Erli feel very happy.

"My cousin, you don't know that since Shibi Khan defeated Yanmen County last year, the Turkic side has been strictly guarding against the entry of Han people. Many businessmen and strangers can no longer do business. Not to mention doing business, even strangers walking in the Turkic tribe will be closely monitored for fear of being plotted against." Li Shimin was surprised that Yang Xuyan could defeat the 500,000-strong Turkic army. As the son of the Taiyuan prefect, he understood the power of the Turkish cavalry better than anyone else.

"Is this really true?" Yang Xuyan was greatly surprised. He then stroked his chin and said softly, "It seems that if we want to make a fortune on the grassland this summer, we must be more cautious and plan carefully."

Li Shimin and Li Xiuning: "Cousin, is it really okay for you to treat the grassland nomadic cavalry so lightly? You know, the Central Plains has long feared the grassland nomadic cavalry, but how come you treat the grasslands as grazing grass to be harvested at will?" But why do I feel so happy after hearing this?

"Well, cousin, could you take me with you when we go hunting on the grasslands to see the world? I've actually been envious of the Turkic landscape for a long time."