Chapter 12 Tian's Choice
Wuzhong County is located on the bank of Huangshui River.
Tian Ze's family is located here.
The Wuzhong Tian family is the descendant of the Tian Qi family during the Warring States Period and has a profound heritage.
Although it is now slightly declining under the secret suppression of the Han Dynasty, but a lean camel is bigger than a horse, and in Youzhou where there are relatively few aristocratic families, it is still a top aristocratic family.
Over the years, with the help of Tian Ze, the Wuzhong Tian family has not only added thousands of acres of fertile land and greatly increased its financial resources, but also used the fine wine produced by the distillation technique to move to the upper class, successfully opened the door to the royal family and aristocratic families, and became the richest family in Youzhou.
Although money is not the key to aristocratic families, nor is it enough to measure their true strength, it can be considered icing on the cake.
At the dock, Tian Yan, the current head of the Tian family, was watching cartloads of food and fodder being loaded onto small boats. His eyes were deep, and it was unknown what he was thinking about.
"Master, Chengshou has already exchanged nearly 100,000 dan of grain from the clan, and that doesn't include the grain purchased by Yuelai Trading Company, which he runs. These grains went down the Huangshui River to the Bohai Sea and were then exchanged onto ships. Their whereabouts are unknown. What exactly does he want to do?" The clan elder Tian Fang said worriedly.
Tian Yan smiled slightly when he heard this: "Isn't this a good thing? Even you don't know where this batch of grain went, so it's even more impossible for others to know. This way, we can ensure that nothing goes wrong."
"Does the Patriarch know what Chengshou is planning?"
"I don't know." Tian Yan looked at the jars of fine wine being unloaded from another ship.
"No one can figure out what this child is thinking. I only know that he sees farther and does better than you and me, and that's enough."
"We are old. With Chengshou and Zitai, the Tian family has great potential to prosper. We don't need to care about what they want to do. We just need to support them with all our strength."
"But I'm worried that Chengshou is too impatient and might have some inappropriate thoughts." Tian Fang said.
There are many knowledgeable people in the world.
Given the current situation in the world, these aristocratic families have all vaguely sensed something.
Serious land annexation has completely rotten the foundation of this dynasty, and it will collapse with just a slight push from someone.
But no one has a solution. Even though many celebrities have seen the essence of the problem, they cannot change the trend.
Hundreds of boats are racing against each other, and even though we know that problems will arise sooner or later if we continue like this, who would be willing to fall behind?
Given the general trend, wise people should seek change rather than try to stop a chariot with their bare hands.
Rather than trying to stop in front of this out-of-control carriage and getting hit to death, it is better to continue following the carriage towards the cliff that may appear at any time but has not yet appeared.
As long as you are strong enough, you will have a greater chance of getting off the bus safely.
The only person who is qualified to stop the carriage, the current emperor, is also trying every means to stop it.
He engraved the "Xiping Stone Classics", founded the "Hongdumen School", and used eunuchs to launch the second "Party Persecution".
The current emperor is not a foolish person, but he is incompetent and cannot change the status quo at all. Instead, he aggravates the conflict and completely breaks the reins of this out-of-control carriage, making the aristocratic families even more crazy.
The noble families and powerful people began to speed up the construction of fortresses and privately raise troops to prepare for the changes that might break out at any time. Some people even prepared to assassinate the king and establish another emperor.
But no one knows when this change will come, whether it will happen right now or decades later. Some families have been preparing for decades, but have not waited for it yet.
As the descendant of the royal family of Qi during the Warring States Period, the Wuzhong Tian family did not have much respect for the Liu family.
With the precedent of Tian family replacing Qi, it seemed normal for the emperor to take turns and for my family to take over next year.
Tian Fang didn't care whether Tian Ze had the intention of rebellion, but he was worried that Tian Ze would not be able to hold back and take action before the time was right. In that case, he would only be the vanguard of the king and would bring about a catastrophe.
"No, Chengshou is a precocious, steady and extremely cautious child. He never does anything without confidence. He knows the importance of things." Tian Yan said.
Just as the two were chatting, a young man in white clothes, about ten years old, came riding a horse and jumped off the horse with a swift somersault.
"Meet the master of the family, grandfather."
When Tian Fang saw his proud grandson, his worry suddenly disappeared a little and he smiled rarely.
Tian Yan gently waved his hand, asked Tian Chou to come forward, pointed at the ships carrying food and grass in the distance and asked, "Zitai, what do you think?"
As the second talented horse of the Tian clan, Tian Chou's reputation is not as loud as Tian Ze's, but his intelligence should not be underestimated. Tian Yan has always wanted to train him as the next clan leader.
"Second brother has done such a great thing!" Tian Chou said with admiration as he looked at the boats that kept coming and going.
Tian Ze was five years older than him, and he had always regarded him as a role model. Seeing his brother's courage, he naturally admired him.
"You have quietly prepared at least 200,000 to 300,000 dan of grain. Your second brother is not only very resourceful, but also has a great plan!"
"Guess where your second brother is now?" Tian Yan asked.
Tian Chou pondered for a moment, thinking about it in his mind, and finally said hesitantly: "Liaodong."
"Why?" Tian Yan had no expression on his face, but he was quite surprised in his heart.
He was the one who secretly pushed for Tian Ze to become the magistrate of Wen County without telling anyone else. However, he did not expect that Tian Chou would guess it.
Tian Chou analyzed: "Second brother has a steady personality and doesn't like taking risks. He will definitely not leave Youzhou. After all, his plan must rely on the power of the family."
"Among the counties in Youzhou, Guangyang and Yuyang are located inland and have a large population, making it inconvenient to operate. Among the remaining counties, only Liaoxi, Liaodong, and Lelang are located along the coast."
"Liaoxi is too close. If there is any movement, the tribe will not fail to notice anything unusual. Lelang is too far away. Transportation is very inconvenient, and the situation is complicated. It is not a place to start a business."
"Liaodong has a special terrain. It is blocked by the Liaoze Lake. It is easy to defend and difficult to attack. It is isolated from the outside world and has a relatively dense population. It is an excellent place to settle down. If I were the second brother, I would probably choose Liaodong."
"Good! Good! Good!" Tian Yan clapped his hands and smiled, his eyes full of satisfaction.
"You two only need to know about this matter, and you must not spread it to others, so as not to cause trouble for Chengshou." Tian Yan said solemnly.
The fact that Tian Ze was the magistrate of Wen County soon became no longer a secret, but the matter of these supplies was not convenient for the public to know.
"Master, don't worry."
"Zitai, what are your plans for the future? If I ask you to take over the position of the head of the family, would you be willing?" Tian Yan asked.
Tian Chou scratched his head and whispered, "Master, I want to help my second brother."
"Nonsense." Upon hearing this, Tian Fang immediately rebuked, "Don't you know the rules of the clan?"
"This generation will be led by Chengshou and you. You two cannot be in the same place."
Tian Yan did not say anything, but just looked at Tian Chou steadily.
"Father, my second brother once said that we should analyze each case on a case-by-case basis and not stick to the old ways. If my second brother needs me, I can help him. The most important thing is that the Tian family doesn't need a pioneering patriarch now, but someone who can maintain the status quo. I am not suitable."
Tian Chou bowed respectfully and then explained.
"Arrogant." Tian Fang said: "You are still young, what are you..."
Tian Yan seemed to realize something, interrupted Tian Shou's words, and asked solemnly: "Zitai, has your talent awakened?"
"It hasn't fully awakened yet, but it will be soon. I can vaguely feel it." Tian Chou said excitedly.
"What is your talent?" Tian Yan and Tian Fang's pupils dilated instantly, and they were extremely excited.
Being able to awaken his talent at such a young age, Tian Chou’s qualifications are probably not much worse than Tian Ze’s!
What they didn't know was that Tian Ze had injected a lot of spiritual energy into Tian Chou and taught him wholeheartedly, which significantly improved Tian Chou's talent.
"By reducing the hostility of others and increasing my own attractiveness, I should have a certain advantage in recruiting and educating refugees." Tian Chou had a confident smile on his face.
(End of this chapter)
