Realm of Power

The long spring rain transformed from winter snow turned into a huge cloud of sullen smoke falling over the southwest basin. The warm and humid climate in the basin began to warm up. The wind blowing through the street brought rain to the face, and it was not that cold. There is only a chilly feeling of spring spreading

On the river pier, various ships are almost close to each other end to end. Among the people coming and going on the pier, you can clearly see the figures of Western Continent merchants. These businessmen are rushing to catch the Western Continent river to thaw. As soon as possible, they transported the goods from China and Libya that had been hoarded all winter back to the country, competing for the biggest profit from these precious goods.

Since the empire signed a trade agreement with the Southwest Long Family, the number of imperial chambers of commerce that has opened branches in the southwest has reached fifty-seven, involving two to three thousand merchants. Among them, the most prosperous Chuangu City in the southwest has the largest number of people. Located at the intersection of the two largest rivers in the southwest, it is also the transportation core of the vast Southwest Basin. It is a natural It is an area where chambers of commerce gather. Imperial merchants are quite a force in Chuangu City. Not only have they purchased houses, but they have also established a certain scale of settlement. In front of the chamber of commerce, there is a bustling crowd, and there are all kinds of goods from the Western Continent. Imperial merchants have habitually turned this residential area into a trade center in Chuangani City.

According to the agreement between the empire and the Southwest Long family, this trading area where the empire's merchants are located is also the only area in the entire Chuangu City where trade can be carried out at night, and is not subject to the curfew decree issued by the Long family. Over time, the area in Chuangu City Other entertainments are also close to here, with three tiles and two houses, singing softly and talking nonsense. Even late at night, the excitement is not a little less than during the day.

The only thing that has changed is that there have been a lot less Yingying Yanyan recently, and they are much more impassioned when drunk. After all, the war in Yanzhou in the north involves the life and death of tens of thousands of Southwest children. At this time, having fun all night long is ultimately necessary. I was secretly stabbed in the spine, but if I was drunk and scolded the Westerners here for a while, I could win a lot of applause.

The reason is very simple, that is, if the Westerners had not given the Thunder God to the Yelu family, the Yelu family would never have dared to attack Yanzhou no matter how brave they were. All this is trouble caused by Westerners!

In front of these people from the Western Continent, the Southwest people showed a hint of arrogance after all, and some prominent families in the Southwest who knew little about the Falcon Empire even claimed that the Falcon Empire was just a country where merchants had risen, and even if it was powerful, it would not be as powerful as that. , you know! In China, businessman is the lowest profession. Even a mud-legged farmer with rolled-up sleeves can point his finger at the richest businessman and scold him! The other party still lowered his head in recognition. Only you Western barbarians are ignorant and would regard these low-level people as treasures. I heard that in the Falcon Empire, there are even businessmen who have obtained titles. It is really confusing! An elder from a distinguished family drunkenly talked about how he had beaten the Gallic Empire so hard that the Westerners did not even dare to look at the mountains in the southwest. In exchange for the full house's cheers, no one cared. , the Gallic Empire has perished, and was replaced by another powerful empire, the Falcon Empire. Aren't they all countries in the Western Continent? Could it be that by changing the name, even the essence has been changed!

Fortunately, the imperial businessmen have become accustomed to keeping their heads down and making money, allowing the Central and African people to be arrogant. Anyway, as long as there is money to be made, there is nothing wrong with being low-key!

But these days, this situation has gradually changed. For the defense of Yanzhou, the Long family has been constantly mobilizing supplies and troops from the southwest. Among them, ordnance is the most important, and almost all of them are taken over by imperial merchants. The imperial weapons are sharp and excellent, and the armor is strong. A large number of various short-range equipment were sent with it. Although the southwest was the home base of the Western Army for many years, due to the lack of large-scale iron mines, its ordnance forging had always been restricted by the Central and African courts. It was also the Central Asian court's trump card to contain the Long family. It was with the influx of imperial weapons that the Long family had the confidence to talk to the court. More than 100,000 ordnance of weapons, involving more than one million yuan in funds , accounting for almost 80% of the Long family’s income in the southwest.

It can be said that 80% of the southwest's finances and taxes have all fallen into the pockets of the imperial merchants who have always looked down upon them. Watching these people from the West who make a lot of money, they will bring ships and cars to China. When the goods were shipped back, everyone in the southwest was jealous. Previously, Long Yang, the Long family, suppressed them with all their strength. Moreover, the war in Yanzhou was about to break out. Naturally, no one dared to jump out, but it was different now. The Yelu family cut off the connection between Yanzhou and the southwest. The Long family's tens of thousands of troops were trapped in Beijing. The extremely powerful Fifth Banner of the Western Army They all collapsed in Qinglan Castle. Who knows what the outcome of this battle in Yanzhou will be! There was also news that the Long family attacked the court angels in the Falcon Empire. Later, the Falcon Empire personally confirmed the truth of the news.

Anyone with a discerning eye can see that the empire has made it clear that it will not interfere in the muddy waters of the Battle of Yanzhou. The grassland army immediately launched a wave of offensives and pushed down several barriers outside Yanzhou. The head of the Long family, Long Yang, Whether he can still return from Shangjing, only God knows! Even if they can really come back, under the shadow of Yanzhou's tragic defeat, the Long family can still be the same Long family that was decisive in the southwest!

The Battle of Yanzhou broke not only the structure of China and Libya, but also the decades-long foundation of the Long family in the southwest. More than ten days ago, the court issued a series of decrees. Chen Dongyang, ranked fourth in the military cabinet, and the civil servants were strict. The famous minister Lu Kewen and Li Long, who is currently in the limelight, entered the southwest from the Southwest Third Road as investigators respectively. At the same time, Some personnel changes related to this matter were issued from the Zhongbia court. Although these personnel orders have not touched the roots of the Long family, most of the areas involved are choke points in the southwest. If the orders are completely If the implementation continues, although Southwest cannot be said to have been controlled by the court, it will at least have considerable control.

The Long family is in turmoil, and the court is beginning to divide it. Most of the prominent families in the southwest are waiting to see how the situation will unfold.

For ordinary people in the Southwest, investigations, appointments and transfers are just topics for discussion after dinner. It's just the tens of thousands of Western Army disciples brought by the Long family that are closely related to them. Not many people feel that the sky in the southwest of the capital is changing!

Sichuan Valley City is the hub of the southwest region, where the north and the south meet. Naturally, it is also the place where the court's investigation will focus on it. Whether it is intentional or unintentional, at this moment, everyone's heart is raised, whether the Long family can be trusted! This time, the imperial court conducted a three-way investigation into the southwest. Along the way, they had already made a gesture of bringing the southwest under the jurisdiction of the imperial court again. However, due to the Battle of Yanzhou, the Southwest Long Family did not have much control over this situation for the time being. Many responses,

It was raining all over the city. Chen Dongyang, who had been demoted for a year because of his scandalous dealings with the empire, was wearing a red robe that represented the identity of the investigative envoy. He was standing in a pavilion in the inner city of Chuangu City with great determination and satisfaction. Talking to a few noble families in Kawagu City,

"Sir, if you want to find evidence of the Long family's rebellion, I think there must be one place!"

A middle-aged man wearing a black robe with a white face and no beard stood up from his seat and said to Chen Dongyang with a respectful look, "The Long family has colluded with the Falcon Empire in the Western Continent. This is a matter known to everyone in the Southwest." For their own selfish interests, the Long family even protected these foreign businessmen from smuggling arms, built docks, and established large-scale commercial and trade centers. After a thousand years of Sichuan Valley City, the whole city was filled with the smell of copper from low-level merchants. In the past year, most of the Long family's arms were purchased from these foreign merchants, and some were purchased directly from the Falcon Empire. There are countless refined iron grains. As the generals of Zhongbia, the Long family is so unscrupulous in purchasing weapons privately. This is not treason! "

"As the commander-in-chief of the Western Army, the Long family purchases ordnance within its scope of authority. This is really nothing! What I want is solid evidence!"

Chen Dongyang waved his hands calmly, interrupting the middle-aged man's conversation. These guys must have eaten too much, and they actually encouraged themselves to touch the businessmen of the Falcon Empire. They really thought that they were still the same Chen Dongyang a year ago. The Falcon Empire has an agreement with the Southwest Long Family, and the Falcon Empire has two troops stationed on the southwest border. With more than 10,000 troops, if there is even a slight disturbance, it may be a situation where the army is overwhelming. I have personally experienced how powerful the emperor's army is outside Linhang. The three-way investigation envoy has a total of 5,000 guards, and he is assigned There are only less than 2,000 people around him. If the emperor really presses forward, how can he stop him? In other words, these Southwest people don't know anything, and they still want to fool themselves here. They want to commit suicide. Don't pull me!

Seeing that Chen Dongyang, the original angel, was not easy to fool, the middle-aged man looked at the people next to him, hesitated, and said, "Speaking of conclusive evidence, I didn't know that the branch of the Long family in Chuangu City calls itself I don’t know if it can be counted as the Long Family Xingyuan?

"The Long family's residence?"

Chen Dongyang raised his eyebrows and gently pressed his hand on the stone pillar of the pavilion. This was an unexpected gain. With the power of the Long family in the southwest, it would not be a big deal to call its branch a branch, but if it was said in court, , that’s another matter, because the court had removed Long Yang’s southwest guardian last year and appointed Song Que from the Southern Song clan as the southwest guardian. In other words, the southwest no longer belongs to the Long family, how can it be done? Call yourself Xingyuan!

But just this is still too light. This time, Your Majesty can completely uproot the Long family! The three-way investigator, Li Long, has a background in the Li family. There are many people from the Li family among officials from various places. To say that the one who is easiest to achieve results is Li Long. Another Lu Ke asked, although he chose to enter from the southwest route in a regular way, but They directly hit the Long family's home base and made it clear that they were going to target the Long family, even if they didn't achieve any results. His achievements, his courage and loyalty without fear of death are enough for His Majesty to appreciate him. In the end, it is himself, because the identity of the former flattering Zhangwu Army commander is the most unacceptable to the southwest people who are the main body of the Western Army. Come on, except for these speculative and prominent regional families, even the local magistrates are not willing to meet with me.

"Is that all?"

Chen Dongyang turned around, looked at this prominent family member in Chuangu City fiercely, and said in a sharp tone, "I believe that the news that you have come to me must have reached the Long family by now. In other words, if not this time, If you move the Long family down, you will be down! I believe everyone is well aware of the virtues of the Long family in the southwest for decades. Most of the top officials in various places came from the Western Army. Separate, naturally The only good thing about flattering the Zhangwu Army is that the Long family is now in a weak position. Affected by the Battle of Yanzhou and the attack on the imperial mission, they are temporarily unable to control the local area, so these local officials have no control over us. What he did was just turn a blind eye and not dare to openly confront him. Once the situation becomes clear, it will not be so easy to blatantly look for evidence of the Long family's rebellion! " "this……"

After hearing Chen Dongyang's words, several prominent people in the city couldn't help but look at each other, especially the middle-aged man in a black robe who stood up earlier, his eyes darting back and forth. This person's name is Wang Taihe, and he is a member of the Wang family in the city. The head of the family, the Wang family is the largest landowner in Chuangu City, and is also known as Wang Bancheng. One-third of the local shops in Chuangu City are owned by Wanjia. Although they are landlords, they are also the largest in the city. The merchants have long coveted the bustling streets occupied by the imperial merchants. I don’t know where the news came from. I know that the angel Chen Dongyang who passed through Kawaguchi City this time was demoted because of the Falcon Empire a year ago. The purpose of asking for guilt was to flatter the leader of the Zhangwu Army with a strong background, so he thought of inciting the investigator to drive away those imperial businessmen, and then spend a small amount of money to capture this area.

"If not, please come back!"

Chen Dongyang raised his arm and waved it violently. He glanced at Wang Taihe's pale and hesitant face and knew that these guys must have something. He couldn't help but feel secretly happy. He pretended to issue an order to expel guests. He investigated the envoy dignifiedly. I am interested in the line of regional prominent families because I am also the general of an army. How could you not know that the Long family has only been in the Southwest for a few decades, but the real Southwest people are the prominent families in the region who have been rooted for hundreds of years. These people have huge power in the region and have been entrenched in the same place for more than a hundred years. , I don’t know how many people and families depend on these noble families for their lives. Others may not know about the slight disturbances of the Long family in the southwest, but these local snakes definitely know about it.

The food and clothing expenses of more than 100,000 Western troops and the secret preferences of each army general are not secrets at all to these people.

It can even be said that the Long family's more than 100,000 Western troops would have trouble eating without the support of the prominent families in these areas. When the Long family's energy is still sufficient, these people are a fortress that is difficult to touch. But once the Long family's vitality wanes, these people will immediately turn around and look for new backers in order to grab profits and allow the family to continue! When a tree falls, the fox will scatter. This saying has almost no effect on these prominent families that have been entrenched for hundreds of years.

"Sir, I know one thing, but I don't know if it's useful." Wang Taihe staggered to the steps, gritted his teeth, turned around and said, "I heard that the head of the Long family, Long Yang, went to Yingying two years ago. Empire, some members of the Long family once angrily mentioned it after being drunk

Long Yang was summoned by the Falcon Empire Emperor in the Falcon Empire. The Falcon Emperor made it clear that as long as Long Yang was willing, the empire was willing to fully support the Long family's independence in the southwest. Then Long Yang came back under the heavy escort of the Falcon Empire cavalry, and then Falcon Empire merchants quickly It increased in the southwest region. The Long family even allowed the Falcon Empire to send people to build docks and docks on waterways. Even on the border, the Falcon Empire began to accumulate heavy troops. If Long Yang didn't want to be independent, why did he assist Falcon? The empire communicates the entire water transportation line! "

Chen Dongyang narrowed his eyes into a thin line, "Meeting foreign emperors in private, reaching secret agreements, and even secretly communicating with water transportation lines. Although these lines don't look like much, if they are deliberately connected in series, it can be said to be evidence of treason." , but this time, it was the Falcon Empire who announced that the Long family had attacked the special envoy!"

"This is what I want to say the most. The evidence for attacking the imperial envoy is conclusive. He colluded with foreign emperors and secretly built water routes for transporting troops. You must know that the southwest waterway leads directly to the territory. If the Long Family's Western Army suddenly attacks, it will be completely Within five days, the army can reach Linhang City." Wang Taihe grinned. This angel had made it clear that he wanted to destroy the Long family, so why did he hesitate? He donated so much wealth, grain, and rice to the Long family every year, but he never saw the Long family give anything to him. Even if the benefactor is not kind after a little care, he cannot be considered unjust. (To be continued.)