Chapter 3 Chang'an (3)

Night falls.

The hall of the Jiang family ancestral hall.

Jiang Shan sat on the main seat at one end, the first four Taishi chairs were temporarily empty, and the four elders in the family were all over eighty years old, with inconvenient mobility, and never showed up unless they encountered major events, and most of them sat in their respective branch mansions for self-cultivation. Although the spirit is not good, he rarely participates in the management of the affairs of the clan, and the major matters in the various branches of the Jiang clan are reported to the four elders in a balanced manner before the report to the council hall. The four shiny Taishi chairs in the ancestral hall that are wiped every day are not something that anyone can sit on.

The ancestral hall of the Jiang family enshrines three portraits of ancestors, the fairy wind bone, Jiang is still in the center and the largest picture, on the left, Qi Henggong Jiang Xiaobai holds a book and sits solemnly, and on the right, Jiang Wei is wearing a battle armor, holding a sword in his left hand and a gun in his right hand.

Outside the four seats, there were more than a dozen seats arranged three steps apart, and most of them were seated at this time, all of them were over 50 years old. Those who can enter the council hall are the top pillars of the clan, and there are as many as 16 businesses in the Jiang family's hundreds of firms on the surface, covering almost all the trading businesses in the world, and the one who can have a position in the council hall must be the big shopkeeper of a certain line.

The stewards who had already sat down sat down like Jiang Shanyi, and there were already old servants guarding the ancestral hall on the coffee table who had placed the tea in turn, but the head of the family had not yet spoken, and everyone did not move, each slightly closing their eyes to self-nourish themselves or thinking about things. The stewards who came later abided by the family rules and carefully sat in their places and closed their eyes to recuperate.

After a while, the four clan elders sat down with crutches under the support of their respective servants, and the stewards in front of the hall all got up and hugged their fists accordingly, still without words, after the clan elders sat down, Jiang Shanyi stretched out his hand and pressed down, and everyone sat down one after another, sweeping away the previous calm and relaxed state and looking in the direction of the head of the family.

Jiang Shan arched his hand towards the four clan elders and said, "A few elders listen first, and when Shanyi finishes, the stewards will discuss it." ”

Jiang Ge, who was already lying in the cat cave, rested his hands on the stone steps, like the little girl next door, his hands folded, his chin on the back of his hand, and his head swayed slightly from side to side. Jiang Ge knew that what he heard next might be crucial, and he tightened his mind to listen to the discussion in the room.

Jiang Shanyi took a sip of tea and put down the tea bowl, and his sharp eyes swept over everyone in the conference hall one by one. He cleared his throat and said: "All the stewards are the children of my Jiang family, how the family history has been passed on to the present day must be clear to everyone, although the main family has been passed down through the generations, but the four families that have branched out have mastered the lifeblood of the entire Jiang family, and the four clan elders don't need to say much about this good one." Today's events are listed as family secrets, so you can remember the family rules. ”

Hearing that the head of the family would position the Tianzi secret discussed today, the four clan elders were originally confused and in a state of dying, and they all sat upright and straightened their waists, and their cloudy eyes brightened. The sixteen stewards in the hall all gasped, their expressions were solemn, and their hearts were excited and panicked. Although everyone in the hall felt that it was very sudden, the secrecy of the heavenly character was not a child's play, and such a high-level discussion would only occur when the family encountered insurmountable difficulties. In addition to the four clan elders here, the long-bearded elder who was the first to experience the Tianzi deliberations during the change of the previous dynasty. The elder of the long-bearded clan slowly stood up and glanced at everyone, coughed, trembled and shook his somewhat dry lips and said: "The head of the family has discussed this matter with me for a long time before you arrived, and the strategy of the head of the family is old and agreeable. ”

After the elder of the long-bearded clan finished speaking, he supported the Taishi chair with one hand and sat down slowly, squinting slightly and constantly sweeping over the crowd with his wandering eyes, and after going back and forth several times, he didn't seem to find anything unusual, so he leaned back on the back of the chair and naturally hung his hands on his abdomen, feeling that his sitting posture was much more comfortable and he didn't speak.

Jiang Shan waved his hand as soon as the long-bearded old man sat down, and the old servant in charge of the ancestral hall in the dark lit the oil lamp on the east wall and roof of the council hall, and a huge map suddenly appeared. Jiang Shan Yixin walked away, turned his back to the huge map and said: "Following the fall of the previous dynasty to the present dynasty for nearly 50 years, the dynasty established a clan with strict self-discipline, the national style is upright, and the country is gradually thickened, during this period, the Jiang family has been able to gradually recover from the troubled times that have fallen apart for decades, and it has slowly accumulated in less than thirty years with the efforts of all the clansmen, and there is the current Jiang family." In the past ten years, there has been serious internal strife in the sect, everyone knows that the original small accumulation of the national capital has been exhausted, the Central Plains has fallen apart, and the imperial power seems to have collapsed. Bai Rishan had the courage to increase the material support of Yicheng, and prevaricated the intention of the King of the East China Sea to use the royal family to marry the Jiang family. If there is anything wrong, in this turbulent time, the good one has to use the privilege of the head of the house to cut it first and then play. ”

As soon as Jiang Shanyi finished speaking, he leaned forward and clasped his fists with both hands to apologize to the four clan elders and you, and when he saw that the four clan elders had no objections, he took a tea bowl and poured a large sip of bitter tea, turned his head and spit out a few tea leaves, and continued: "You are all familiar with history books, and you must all remember the decline of the Qi Kingdom period in the family history. In recent years, all the major clans in the Central Plains have moved south, and the Jiang family has not moved for a long time because considering the Fuguo of Nanyang, the king of the East China Sea, the current situation is still stable. But now the Jiang family has no choice but to abandon the foundation that has just been accumulated, leaving a spark that can ignite the prairie for future generations. According to the ancestral teachings, in troubled times, the change of dynasty Jiang needs to be transferred in multiple ways, and only one or two retreats cannot be chosen. To avoid unnecessary oppression and besieged by party friends, the family wealth needs to be scattered and bought off all critical joints. In addition, the main family will stay, and the heirs will be evacuated. After settling down, they went incognito and waited for the head of the house to summon them. Time is running out, so let's talk about it among the four clan elders and all the stewards. Next, we will discuss a charter and prepare as soon as possible in case of contingencies. ”

"The small family in the clan should go south to cross the river in batches, the moat should be no obstacle to each other, the merchants and farmers in the Jianghuai area are prosperous and the scholars are in the local forest, the wealthy families have a deep heritage, and the ordinary scholars are very strong, and the Jiang family wine shop in the Jianghuai region has been struggling in Jianghuai in recent years, and there is no lack of local scholars who are squeezed out by all parties. Moreover, the extravagance of the Jianghuai clan for a long time is not conducive to the growth of the children of the clan, and they are afraid of being contaminated with extravagance and empty talk. The Jiang family in Jingzhou has a solid foundation, and the old clan is here, which can ensure that the children of the Jiang family are worry-free. For the oldest and only one of the secret principals who has experienced the change of dynasties, whether the descendants of the clan are stable is the most important thing, and the family inheritance is the most important thing he cares about.

The old words of the long-bearded clan were closed, and the council chamber all nodded in agreement.

Sitting on the side of the old man of the long-bearded clan, the body is relatively rich, the face has been smiling for many years, although the old age is indeed very good, the old man touched the jade wrench on his finger and said loudly: "What the clan brother said is very true, my branch is in charge of grain and salt and people's livelihood, although it is not as important as the clan brother's Qinglou wine shop, but this folk suffering is empathetic, in the past ten years, the Central Plains has gradually sunk to the bottom of the people's livelihood, countless Hu people have moved to the Central Plains to eat the Han people, and there are many people who eat Han people, and cannibalism between Han people often occurs, and it is difficult to find rice in many areas. It's really that those Hu people are too barbaric, our grain stores in the north basically have no grain in stock, and the grain stored in Jingzhou does not dare to be transported north, the world is unstable, as long as the grain enters the Central Plains, it will be stripped away. There are still some reserves in the warehouse of Luoyang City, which is not a long-term plan, and besides, the East China Sea King has increased the supply by one percent, and the grain stored will not last until the end of the year. There is no way for the north to continue to stay, so he still goes back to Jingzhou to make plans. The scholars in the Jianghuai area are xenophobic, so don't go to the hot face and stick the cold pot. After speaking, the patriarch took a sip of tea, took out a handkerchief and wiped his sweat, muttering that the weather was boring and that he was sweating a few words.

Jiang Ge, who was lying on the stone steps behind the house and eavesdropping, heard the conversation in the house, and his young heart was shocked, and his stomach was even more uncomfortable. The Hu people feed on the Han Chinese? Isn't Luoyang City still singing and dancing every day, you can eat whatever you want, and it's hard to find a gold for rice? Is the world already so bad? Moving south? Does it mean returning to the ancestral land? Qin Huaihe's extravagant book is written. The Hu people migrated south, and the weather was getting colder and colder, and the winter was getting longer and longer, resulting in the grassland being covered with ice and snow and unable to continue to survive.

Vomit! Hu people are disgusting.

Let's go see the lotus lanterns, don't listen to it, what it means, it's something that adults should think. If you want to move, won't you see the cute little girl next door?

Jiang Ge got up, patted the dust on his body, felt sad in his heart, and left gently.

The meeting hall is still discussing and discussing, the fate of a family, whether it is the rise and fall or the longevity of the blessings depends on the decisions of these principals and clan elders, as the head of the family, Jiang Shanyi is also extremely worried in his heart, the Jiang family that has been inherited so far hopes to survive this period of time, not to be ruined in his own hands, not only to be ashamed of the ancestors and the predecessors who have dedicated their lives to the clan in the past generations, but now the life and death of thousands of people are also in their hands, and the responsibility is not heavy. The head of the family is in a single line, and it is even more important to be cautious.

Everyone in the hall expressed their opinions, Jiang Shang paced back and forth, sometimes nodding and sometimes shaking his head, under the yellowish light, the already serious face added more sorrow, as if he was much older in an instant.

Jiang Shanyi understands in his heart that in order to survive in troubled times, he must survive, and he must consider the feasibility of that eventuality, if the country collapses in the future, the heroes rise together, and the lives are devastated, if you want to survive, you must have enough capital and power, and the goods and the emperor's family also have to weigh a few catties and a few taels, if you want to be controlled by others....... Jiang Shanyi turned around and looked at the portraits of the three ancestors enshrined, although the world is chaotic, disasters and opportunities coexist, it is not easy for his own generation to keep it, if he can survive the troubled times, he can give an explanation to his ancestors, others? I'm afraid that I can't do it, if I really consider the worst-case scenario, it is really unfortunate, it may be an unprecedented man-made disaster and troubled times, coupled with the difficulties of God, I faintly feel that the end of the world is coming.

More than a dozen stewards explained the things under their jurisdiction and their own opinions, Jiang Shanyi also remembered them one by one, the content of the report was not much different from the summary of things a few days ago, and everyone's thoughts and suggestions were also written down for the time being, and when he suddenly thought that the end of the world was coming, he was also shocked in his heart, Jiang Shanyi rubbed his hands and stopped pacing, and all the heads of the human families in the council hall stopped and consciously stopped discussing, and sat upright and looked at Jiang Shanyi. The discussion time is too long, the four elderly clan elders are tired and uncomfortable, seeing the situation knowing that the head of the family has made a decision, even if they are sleepy and uncomfortable, they will cheer up, wait for the head of the family to say their ideas, and then they need the approval of the four clan elders, so they can't help but be physically and mentally exhausted, and they have to insist on persevering.

Jiang Shanyi wiped the fine sweat on his forehead and said bluntly: "I intend to complete the relocation and layout by the end of this year in five ways, please look at the map." ”

Jiang Shanyi pointed to the map and continued: "On the first road, each branch of the clan selects the heirs of the descendants and the old people and women in the clan to move south in batches to return to the ancestral land, abide by the ancestral teachings, stabilize the ancestral land from being violated, and the inheritance cannot be broken. ”

"On the second road, all deputy directors are assigned to important local bases to stabilize operations and information transmission on the premise of ensuring their own safety."

"The third way, send caravans to the grasslands, infiltrate and bribe the Hu tribes, large and small, to maintain the normal operation of the Jiang family in the north, and to keep the news transmitted in a timely manner."

"On the fourth road, the stewards on Jiang Jiaming's face will stay with me in Luoyang to preside over the appropriate size, continue to maintain contacts with all parties, and give the first three roads to go smoothly."

"Diwu Road, Jiang Ge went to Chang'an with Ah Fu and the others to study, if Luoyang loses in the future, he will immediately flee, choose the opportunity to return to Jingzhou, observe the general trend, plan and then move."

After Jiang Shanyi finished speaking, he picked up the tea bowl and poured a sip of the tea that had already turned cold, straightened his chest and looked around the hall with sharp eyes, and said, "Clan elder, do you have any objections?" ”

The council hall was as quiet as a lake, and everyone frowned as if they were weighing the strategy of the head of the family, and after about half a pillar of incense, everyone seemed to have a conclusion and looked at the position of the patriarch.

The elder of the long-bearded clan parted his hands that crossed each other, reached out and touched his white beard, and said angrily: "It is feasible, carefully implemented, when the family is dying, the ancestral rules are current, those who violate it, kill, those who defect, kill." Summoning the Tsing Yi Guard, the deputy directors and the shopkeeper will personally protect them, activate the Shadow Guard, and protect the lives of their descendants. ”

After speaking, the long-bearded old man waved in the direction of the northeast corner of the council hall and said, "Fusheng, take the family master token to the Bai family, which means that the old man and the family master will invite the Bai family head to drink tomorrow." ”

Fusheng, who was originally hidden in the dim corner of the corner, quickly walked out of the shadows and hugged his fists and said, "Yes, clan elder." After Fusheng finished speaking, he asked Jiang Shanyi again, and when he saw Jiang Shanyi nodded, he walked out of the conference hall quickly.

Seeing that it was getting late and the big thing had been decided, Jiang Shanyi said to everyone: "Since it is decided, bother you to worry about it, don't make mistakes, and tomorrow you will discuss it the day after you do a good job." Scattered. ”

Everyone got up one after another and said goodbye to Jiang Shanyi and the four white-haired elders before leaving the conference hall one by one. The four clan elders are still here, and they have not yet had the intention of getting up, so they should still have secret matters to discuss.

The old servant who dedicated himself to the ancestral hall came out and removed the tea and replaced it with a bowl of exquisite porcelain bowls, the bowl contained pale yellow transparent soup, a cool and refreshing fragrance spread, the four old men fiddled with the spoon and drank the refreshing soup, the old servant removed the porcelain bowl and replaced it with a few plates of pastries and fruits, the four clan elders selected their own food and ate it slowly, a bowl of refreshing soup made of precious medicinal herbs drank it, the clan elders felt a lot more relaxed, and their spirits were better, while eating fresh melons and fruits and delicious pastries, they looked at Jiang Shanyi.

Jiang Shan drank the refreshing soup in one go, then stood aside and thought alone, and after the four clan elders looked better, they walked to the wall where the map was hung and pressed the mechanism that they didn't know where to hide, and the original ordinary map became another map. The map is no longer an exact distribution of cities and mountains, rivers and rivers. It is a map of the distribution of power separation, the entire land of China is divided into dozens of large and small regions, each region is marked with races, clans, etc., such an amazing strategic map of power division is simply creepy, because what is shown on this map is not the real situation in reality, but Jiang Shanyi's summary of tens of thousands of news from the Jiang family, and the final speculation map, there may be speculation mistakes, but the current power of various clans and races in the north and south is real. Jiang Shanyi only came up with this picture based on the summary and analysis of all the news, and this picture is still adding, deleting and changing according to the messages received from time to time.

The world is shown on this map at a glance, and it is the only one in the world, which can be described as a strategic treasure made by the Jiang family with the strength of the whole clan, and its value is immeasurable.

Jiang Shanyi touched the edge of the map and said: "After the rebellion of the kings, the rise of the Hu people is too fast, the major clans are self-preservation first and continue to be dirty with each other, the royal family is gradually declining, and the Central Plains will rise again in less than ten years. However, in such troubled times, I think that the Jiang family should do something, and the country must not fall into the hands of barbarians, otherwise it will be ruined, and future generations will never have peace, even if they live in a corner, they should do something, so that future generations know what is the righteousness of the country and what is the backbone of the nation. ”

The four white-haired elders listened to Jiang Shanyi's sonorous and powerful words, although they were incompatible with the appearance of a rich man, but this heroic rhetoric also reminded the four of them of the eventful years when they were young. A clan elder who was thin and didn't speak much said with a little melancholy: "I, Jiang Qi Wu, went to the former dynasty Wu when I was young, it can be said that it is not dangerous, but I still live to this day, and the Jiang family has also been inherited to this day, the Jiang family, not competitive, nor confusing the country, we are not willing to meddle in the original historical process, but if the country will not be a country and become a slave, the Jiang family will not obey." What Taizu can watch from the sky, now he should be promising. ”

Another shorter white-haired old man answered: "Just you Jiang Qi Wu Dayi is awe-inspiring, I, Jiang Jinshu, also crawled out of the corpse pile after nine deaths, and Jiang Shangwei who went to the north survived like this, so I can't say what Wen Crepe said, anyway, those scholars and doctors like to play and play, our Jiang family doesn't care, but those barbarians who don't have a clear braincase want to usurp the throne, and the Jiang family should take action." What do you say, Old Wei? After Jiang Jinshu finished speaking, he looked at the old man who was eating grapes next to him.

The old man with a round and rich body smiled and said, "What about the fart, you still hold a knife?" I can't do it anymore, it's been a few years to live, anyway, the eldest brother is here, I listen to him if I have no opinion. ”

The long-bearded old man took a sip of tea and moistened his throat and said: "Jiang family, it's time to rise, but you Jiang Shanyi can't do it, it depends on your son who doesn't do his job every day and tinkers with strange things, you try to pave the way and let him go more steadily, don't let the Jiang family lose an existence that is likely to hang the portrait on the wall behind him and be worshiped for generations." As for those Hu people, they are waiting to see what happens, and the focus is still on the scholars behind the scholars in the north and south, and the people's hearts are the most dangerous. Even if Jiang Ge'er is well protected by us, he still can't prevent those who have ill intentions, the Jiang family is not big, but the things on the surface are coveted by many people, and everyone knows that the Jiang family has always been the main family. Jiang Shanyi, think about it, those dirty things have happened less since you can remember?

The righteousness of the nation, my Jiang family has it, and my Jiang family has nothing to do with the country, but the most important thing is that the inheritance cannot be broken and the heritage cannot be destroyed. Nowadays, things are unpredictable, and it's not something that a few of us who are half-buried in loess can have the final say, and it's not something you can do in your forties. ”

"Yes, clan elder." Jiang Shan replied.

"I'm still suffering like this at an old age, and I'm scattered, it's up to you to decide how to implement today's deliberations, and we old guys have no opinion." The long-bearded old man waved his hand and looked at Jiang Shanyi, and then looked at the other four gray-haired old brothers, sighed that it was really unforgiving, and walked towards the door with a stick.

The other three clan elders hurriedly got up and went to help the old man named Jiang Zhen, the four of them seemed to be tired, so they walked quietly and slowly outside the ancestral hall, and there were already domestic servants waiting.

As soon as Jiang Shan was about to send the clan elders out, he stopped when he saw Jiang Zhen waving his sleeves casually, silently looked at their backs, sighed in his heart, put away the map, hid the mechanism, and left the ancestral hall.

Jiang Ge was born at the age of forty, it can be said that he is old, Jiang Shanyi really feels sorry for this child, he is tired as the head of the family in this troubled world, Jiang Ge was born precocious, the hope of the whole family is pressed on him, and the pressure in the future is a hundred times heavier than himself, I feel sour when I think about it, and the child's mother died after giving birth, and he has no mother's affectionate care and companionship since he was a child, thinking about Jiang Shanyi is even more guilty, and he has to send him to Chang'an, his black face is a little sad, and his eyes are a little moist, Looking up at the black canopy, I wondered why it didn't rain at this time.

If it doesn't rain, these hot tears are uncomfortable in my eyes.