March of 695 passed so peacefully. On the surface, Wufeng seemed more relaxed and comfortable than ever. In the morning, he was invited by some groups and individuals, such as going to Fenghua Poetry Garden to listen to the discussions of students, and going to the Imperial Academy of Painting and Calligraphy. I went to see the masters painting their ink, went to White Horse Temple and Baiyun Temple to lecture with Master Huineng and Immortal Xuanqing, and my life became so rich and colorful.
In the afternoon, I took a leisurely nap, then Xinxinran went to the Qingye Sect General Forum to talk with the elders of the Qingye Sect about the pursuit of martial arts, and then went to Qingyue Xuan to taste tea and listen to the piano, and feel the life of a hermit. Going to the Sihai Club to drink coffee and play with women, many noble ladies and ignorant girls who want to integrate into the upper class are conquered by Wu Feng's style and lie obediently under Wu Feng.
As for the nightlife in the evening, it was even more colorful. Invitations from the nobles and businessmen who took turns to be hosts made Wufeng keep feasting almost every night. After having enough wine and food, he would linger in the countless swanky places in the imperial capital and enjoy all kinds of customs. Wu Feng seemed completely intoxicated by the woman.
But all this does not seem to be the case. History seems to be following a track but also like a runaway horse stumbling toward the set direction.
The news from Kansai is very worrying. Before the fifteenth day, Gu Dengyun led the people from the northwest back to the Kansai area. With the good foundation of the Gu family and Gu Dengyun's own extraordinary ability, he and the others were very Soon they established a foothold in the Kansai region. All kinds of intelligence from the Kansai region were continuously reported to Wu Feng. The rapid development momentum of the Taiping Religion in the region made Wu Feng stunned, and their armed forces were rapidly expanding. There is obviously the shadow of external interference forces behind the enhancement, and perhaps there are more than one.
The situation reflected in the counties of Beiyuan, Yanyun and even Heshuo is not optimistic. The influence of the Taiping Sect in these counties has been deeply rooted, especially in the counties of Beiyuan and Yanyun. Its influence has deeply penetrated into every corner of the country. The class has considerable influence and appeal in the two counties, which also makes Wu Feng feel a lot of pressure.
February has not yet ended. Under pressure from all aspects, Wufeng made an important decision to let the Guards Wing Captain Song Tianxiong and the Logistics Director Jing Li return to Qingyang in advance to start forming the Guards Division. However, in view of the Due to current funding and personnel issues, Wu Feng suggested that Song Tianxiong could build three regiments first, instead of rushing to expand into a full division. He must ensure combat effectiveness, and the backbone should be composed of soldiers from his original Guards Regiment. . Lu Ping, the former deputy captain of the Guards Regiment, was responsible for Wu Feng's safety in the Imperial Capital, and the task of selecting martial arts masters was also handed over to Lu Ping.
Due to the end of the martial arts examination, many martial arts sects have not achieved the gains they imagined. The privileges of the Zhongyuan Guild Hall and the participation of a large number of noble children have reduced the number of places that were originally increased. Many sects have gained nothing, and even some large sects have gained nothing. Very little. Many forces in the imperial capital stepped forward to recruit him, especially several princes who greatly expanded their bodyguards and won the support of many sect disciples.
Since Wu Feng caused a stir due to the assassination, it seemed logical to recruit experts to increase his security force, but it did not attract much attention. In addition, Wu Feng's strict selection in this area resulted in not many people being selected.
The news coming from the northwest is quite satisfactory. As the economy of the four northwest prefectures has entered a period of stable and rapid development, the situation in Qingyang and Jinzhou is especially gratifying. The tax reduction and exemption policy promised in the early stages of construction has expired, but this has not affected the investment enthusiasm of businessmen, the warm reception of local governments, the stability of local public security, sufficient and cheap labor, a huge consumer market, and a good geographical location. , rich physical resources, all of which attract profit-seeking businessmen. As the tax exemptions and loan terms of Qingyang and Jinzhou gradually expired, the finances of the two governments improved rapidly and showed explosive growth. The fiscal revenue of the two governments has reached the stage of high returns.
The economies of Guide Prefecture and Bonan Prefecture are also growing rapidly. The production of well salt in Guide Prefecture has entered a large-scale development stage. Businessmen with large amounts of funds are cooperating with the local government to continuously expand the scale and begin large-scale exploration, hoping to The scope of well salt production has been expanded, and the number of vineyards in the south has also grown rapidly. The output and quality of wine have jumped to a new level. The ceramic industry in Bonan Prefecture has become a pillar industry. The influx of many craftsmen from other places has led to the continuous improvement of the quality of local ceramics. Most of the products are exported to the central and western mainland, earning huge income.
After receiving huge financial support from the empire, Northern Luzon's economy also began to start. The construction of many infrastructure projects absorbed a large amount of surplus labor. A large number of Gaoyue people began to move out of the Hengduan Mountains and settle in areas outside the mountains. They also joined in the construction of Northern Luzon. Went to Luzon’s team. The urban construction plan of Shuangduifu attracted the attention of all local businessmen. The planned city's grand scale and unique ideas doubled the confidence of the locals. This plan also attracted a large number of immigrants from the neighboring Indian Kingdom.
Under the influence of these good news, the economic situation in the entire Northwest and Northern Luzon is showing a prosperous scene. Xiao Tang also rarely agreed with Wu Feng's decision to form a Guards Division, and generously agreed to provide a full division, which shocked everyone in the military, including Ling Tianfang.
In a mansion on the same street as Pengcheng Mansion and Chengshou Mansion in Donghai County, the people around him knew that this was the mansion of the famous Li Dashan of Pengcheng Mansion. Li Dashan owns vast hectares of fertile land on the outskirts of Pengcheng. He is also the major shareholder of Tianjinji, a famous silk and satin shop in Pengcheng. He also owns two large medicine shops and is considered the number one figure in the entire Pengcheng Mansion.
There were only three people sitting in the simple and lively but quite hidden meeting hall. One of them was the old man who had appeared in Hanzhong Mansion in Kansai. Of course, he was You Daofang, who was revered as the Grand Master in the Taiping Holy Sect. A man with unlimited power. The two people sitting on either side of him were naturally the young man Xu Wenzhe, who was called the Young Master, and the other was a few years younger. The simple gray and white robes on him were It shows his extraordinary grace even more.
"Master, are you having a good journey?" Both men respectfully saluted the master sitting at the top.
"Well, it went smoothly. I gained a lot from this trip and broadened my horizons a lot." A satisfied smile appeared on You Daofang's face, "The customs and customs of the northern countries are indeed very different from ours. The situation in the northern border areas of Yanyun and Yanyun counties is somewhat similar."
"Master, after you have been away for a few months, what important things happened?" The young man sitting on the left couldn't help but ask. Master, after being away for two or three months, he left behind countless important things in the sect. He and his senior brother were puzzled.
Although Xu Wenzhe, known as the Young Master, did not say anything, the look in his eyes clearly wanted to know why his master spent so much time traveling to the northern countries at such a critical time.
"The secret must not be leaked. You will naturally know it when the time comes. But I think you have handled the affairs of the church very well in the past few months since I left. It seems that my two disciples are fully capable of taking charge of their own affairs." ." A proud look appeared on You Daofang's face.
"Master, thank you for your praise. Wen Zhe and Junior Brother just handled a few small things according to your advice." Master Xu Wenzhe answered modestly, without any hint of arrogance.
"Well, Wen Zhe, you are becoming more and more mature. The negotiations with Kaman and Poole went very well. I wonder how the things they promised are going?" You Daofang's face was still very relaxed, but his tone was different. Very cautious.
"Back to Master, the Kaman people's weapons and equipment have begun to arrive gradually. I have arranged for reliable disciples to receive some of them. Due to the tight inspection here in Beiyuan, we can only transport them in part by part. The funds they provided have already been fully In place, it seems that they value this cooperation very much." Xu Wenzhe answered seriously.
"Well, where are their military instructors?" You Daofang paid more attention to this aspect.
"All the personnel sent by the Kaman people have arrived in the past month. There are about 600 people in total. I have arranged them in Beiyuan, Yanyun and Guanxi counties, and there are also a small number in Heshuo County. The Pu people There are fewer, only about 300 people. I discussed with my junior brother and arranged them all in Donghai County." Xu Wenzhe explained, "According to reports from below, these people are of very high quality and have greatly helped improve the combat effectiveness of our armed forces. , but I am still worried about their true intentions, and have arranged people from the secret hall to monitor them."
"Well, good job. It's best to be careful in everything. Neither the Kaman nor the Puer people are good people. Although they need each other now, they may not have any different intentions, but it will be difficult to say if the situation changes in the future." You Daofang nodded in agreement with Xu Wenzhe's approach, "But we must ask our people to obey them in learning and training. After all, our people lack formal military knowledge and experience. At the moment, we can only rely on them, so we must improve ourselves in the shortest possible time. Finally being able to throw them off completely.”
"But Master, I'm afraid this won't be able to achieve our expected goal in a short period of time." The young man who had been silent for a long time finally expressed his opinion.
"Well, I also know that it is true that a farmer cannot grow into a warrior overnight. The riot in 689 fully illustrates this problem. Without strong military power, the final outcome can only be failure. We must not repeat the same mistakes, so I must let our people receive the necessary formal training, even if it means delaying the incident." You Daofang's expression became serious at this time, and his voice became much lower.
The two people at the bottom were speechless for a moment.
"By the way, Bailin, how are things going in the south?" You Daofang turned his attention to the young man again.
"Returning to Master, there are still some troubles. At present, our people have not directly clashed with the people of Qiankun Dao. Both sides are a bit wary and worried that the conflict will attract the attention of the government. However, I think if this situation continues, it will happen sooner or later. It will break out." The young man replied with some distress, "I have told my subordinates not to have a direct conflict with the other party for the time being, and try not to interfere with the well, and put the overall situation first."