Chapter 430 Different realms
Chengdu city, suburbs.

At Zhang's Manor, Zhang Song is about to set off and can't sleep at night.

He was sorting out the bamboo slips of his family's studies in his room when he was suddenly stunned. He immediately said to the servant at the door, "Go and invite my brother to come."

"Yes."

The servant in blue bowed and stepped back. Zhang Song felt flustered and simply sat down on the table.

Zhang Su came in quickly. He was not sleepy, so he was in high spirits. He asked worriedly, "Why are you looking for me?"

"Brother, I'm thinking about the replacement of the chief clerk by the Grand Marshal."

Zhang Song stood up and gave a look to his trusted servant at the door, who immediately left.

Zhang Su followed Zhang Song into the school next door, which was used to teach children in the clan. The school was quiet and spacious, and seemed even more desolate. "Are you saying that the Grand Marshal will appoint Huang Quan?"

"If it's Huang Quan, things are still ambiguous, which is not a bad thing."

Zhang Song came to the side of the pine beam, raised his hand and patted it, then looked up at the deep dome: "I am worried about Fa Zheng. He is a rare talent and has a deep mind. Those who do not know his talent will unintentionally despise him; those who know his talent will suppress him intentionally. He is resentful. If he is promoted by the Grand Marshal, Shu will be in danger."

Zhang Su nodded after hearing this. Fa Zheng was good in every way except that he had a first wife.

This wife was able to endure hardships and was quite respected and loved by Fa Zheng.

If it weren't for this wife, Fa Zheng would have long become a good son-in-law of a prominent family in Shu.

Zhang Su was still puzzled and asked doubtfully: "Why did you suddenly come up with such an idea?"

"We have been in Shu for too long and have neglected the heroes of the world."

Zhang Song said with a look of regret on his face: "From a logical point of view, when Yang Fu was dismissed, it would be best if his successor was a famous scholar in Shu. This would be good for maintaining the relationship between the upper and lower levels. I think the Grand Marshal had this intention at first, but the families in Shu were selfish and vied for recommendation. The people they recommended were all well-known and famous, which inevitably made the Grand Marshal unhappy."

Zhang Su frowned when he heard this: "What can he do? The world is so vast, does he want to rule it all by himself?"

"Brother, the world is vast, but how big is Shu?"

Zhang Song asked in a serious tone: "The Grand Marshal has made great achievements and is in his prime. He is full of vigor and vitality. How could he be manipulated by us, the surrendered ministers? Today's Grand Marshal can appeal to his emotions and justice, but he must not and should not use fame and fortune."

Zhang Su was speechless. He naturally understood what his brother said. The other party was just a naive and righteous child. You had to coax him to come, tell him some romantic stories, and recommend some people who met his needs instead of your own people.

The more Zhang Song spoke, the more regretful he looked. He couldn't blame the Grand Marshal for being too restrained and rational.

As long as one is a normal person and has crawled out of the mountains of corpses and seas of blood in the chaotic times, how can one not envy the prosperity, wealth and beauties of Shu?
The other side endured it and stationed its troops in Mianzhu, and was deeply loved by the people of Shu.

Although the other party did not leave Mianzhu, which man or woman in Shu would not be grateful?

It was precisely because of this kind of rationality that far exceeded that of ordinary people that they ignored the other party's age and subconsciously judged that the other party would choose a person from Yizhou as the chief clerk. Some of them were even unsatisfied and used lobbying to recommend Xu Jing to be the chief officer of the camp.

The two brothers looked at each other for a long time, and Zhang Su asked with a serious expression: "What should we do now?"

"If it doesn't break, it won't stand."

Zhang Song's voice was a little hoarse. "I originally wanted to bring a lot of gifts to befriend Lady Ganquan after entering Guanzhong. Now it seems that Lady Ganquan can't stop the Grand Marshal even if she reaches out. You and I have a rich family, so we should make a decision early and not rely on luck. May I ask, brother, which is more important, family and relatives, or family wealth?"

"What is the root? How could I not know?"

Zhang Su also felt nervous. Was the huge foundation his family had built up since Liu Yan came to Shu going to be destroyed?

Without a person, no matter how much wealth one has, it will lose its meaning. For the sake of his family and clan, he could even commit suicide and sacrifice himself.

“People are the foundation.”

Zhang Song murmured in a low voice: "After I leave tomorrow, my brother will divide up the family property on my behalf and distribute it to my clan members and villagers. Only 100 acres of mulberry fields and 20 acres of rice fields will be left for my family to farm and weave for self-sufficiency. In this way, we will see which way the wind blows. If anyone follows suit, my brother should not hesitate and divide up the family assets immediately. The rich and powerful in the clan should also be persuaded to share their wealth and property. In this way, people's hearts will be united, and even if there are changes in the future, they can unite to protect themselves."

"Well, I understand the importance of this."

Zhang Su agreed immediately. Anyway, what were divided up were various real estates, while the truly valuable luxury goods, gold, gems, pearls and Shu brocade and the like would naturally be sealed in a secret room. This was the capital for a rapid recovery in the future.

If you don't have the opportunity, you will be the future support of your descendants.

As long as our descendants are around, we will have the chance to get back everything we have lost now.

If the three clans were really exterminated, or the clan was dismantled and relocated to Liangzhou or Bingzhou to enrich the border counties, that would be falling into the abyss of hell, with no hope.

During the four hundred years of the Han Dynasty, the powerful families had been in conflict with the central government for so long that things would have been easier to deal with as long as they had been prepared.

If you distribute the property to the poor clan members and fellow villagers in advance, there will be no need for the higher-ups to punish you. The cruel officials and clerks at the grassroots level who are responsible for implementing the property will also be afraid of escalating the situation. They will also lose motivation if they cannot gain obvious benefits and political achievements.

The two brothers made their decision and walked out of the school. Zhang Song suddenly stopped in the corridor and said, "Brother, the Grand Marshal used his troops skillfully and took advantage of the situation to conquer Liang and Yi in one battle. It can be seen that his plan is profound. I think that for the sake of the whole family, you and I should separate. I will leave one son in Shu, and you can give one son to follow me to Chang'an."

Zhang Song raised his head and looked at Zhang Su, saying, "In the future, if it is not necessary, you and I should stay out of the way; in the future, it is better for our sons and nephews to marry people from humble families."

"Yes, if we marry into a big family, and one of them breaks the law, the entire clan will be punished, which is really unfair."

Zhang Su responded that the execution of Wang Yun's three clans had implicated the two counties of Taiyuan and Hedong, where everyone was enslaved. The cost of this marriage was too high, and the price of betrayal and rebellion was too heavy.

During this period, there have been some rumors, vividly describing how Da Sima forced his way through the Jianshan plank road that night.

The prominent and powerful families in Taiyuan and Hedong counties each organized a death-defying soldier unit of 3,000 strong.

Probably, when the suicide soldiers went to the battlefield, they were just like the personal soldiers and guards who fell to their death while repairing the plank road that night.

Zhang Su didn't want his brothers, nephews and nephews to be drafted into the suicide squad, and then die in hardship on a distant battlefield, with their bodies difficult to return home for burial.

There are many people like the brothers Zhang Song and Zhang Su who have vision, have a lot of outside information, and are willing to give up their wealth.

After all, they were rich and had saved enough capital to make a fortune again, and they also had the experience of making a fortune successfully.

I have had it, so I can let it go easily.

What people really can't let go of are those powerful people from humble backgrounds who are actively trying to get rich and are in the stage of becoming bigger and stronger.

These people are well aware of how fierce the competition at the bottom is, and it is difficult for them to give up everything they have now.

Because after giving up, they don’t think they will have a chance to have it again.

If a similar opportunity arises again, they may not be able to seize it again, and it will be difficult for their descendants to seize it either.

But not all big and famous families can let go. The big families living in the mountains have been living with the barbarians for a long time, and their attitude towards life has become fierce, stubborn and domineering.

Their wealth was accumulated from generation to generation, the land in the mountains was reclaimed by their ancestors and was taken with one blow after another. Why should they give it up?
So, when the brothers Zhang Song and Zhang Su began to divide their family property and distribute it to their relatives and fellow villagers, Wang Shang and Wang Fu soon followed suit.

However, the Gao and Huang families immediately did the opposite and began to spend their money to recruit foreign soldiers.

(End of this chapter)