Chapter 116 (Thanks to book friend Ming Gaofeng for voting for the monthly ticket!)
Although Song Wenhui's idea was good, Gongsun Huan, who was almost killed by Song Wenhui, obviously did not buy it. Although he could not turn against Song Wenhui directly for the sake of his family, for the sake of his own safety, Gongsun Huan did not even want to meet Song Wenhui. He planned to directly decline Song Wenhui's invitation on the grounds of illness.

However, the Yun family and the Cui family acted as guarantors for Song Wenhui, so in order to give face to these two families, Gongsun Huan reluctantly came out of his old nest and went to Dongning to meet Song Wenhui.

After sitting in the chair for a long time, Song Wenhui, who was dizzy from Gongsun Huan's anger, finally felt a little relieved. As soon as his body recovered, he felt like he had a thorn in his back, and he did not relax or rest at all. After thinking for a while, he instructed the attendants on his left and right:

"Ask the two Patriarchs, Yunshan and Cui Yu, to come to Dongning to see me tomorrow. I must meet them both tomorrow!"

Now that the worst situation has happened, the alliance between the Gongsun family and the Zhenwu Army is irreversible, so he must stabilize the remaining Yun and Cui families and prevent these two families from following the Zhenwu Army. If that happens, he will be completely finished.

･･･････
･･･････
A month later, in the Xuanwu military training ground in the Beiling camp in Luoan, the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty, a dusty team of hundreds of people were checking in.

Although the sound of the roll call was not loud, it was very clear on the training ground that could accommodate tens of thousands of Xuanwu soldiers training at the same time.

"Niu Dali!"

"To!"

"Wang Ergou!"

"To!"

"Fei Huang"

·······
·······
The soldiers in the queue whose names were called out would go to Chen Yannian and put a red handprint on the roster after answering.

Ye Mingsheng was standing in the middle of the parade ground, listening to the reports from his subordinates. The joy of returning to Luoan in his heart gradually disappeared without him noticing.

After bidding farewell to Cui in Fengshan County, he returned to Dongxiang County to reunite with Chen Yannian and others. Then they went through a month-long journey, crossing several provinces, and finally returned to the political and economic center of the Zhou Dynasty court in this era - the capital Luo'an - two hours ago.

Although they finally returned to Luoan after going through untold hardships, Ye Mingsheng, as the commander of a battalion, had no time to experience the prosperity of Luoan, nor did he have any rest. He started to go through the handover procedures between the Ministry of War and the Imperial Guards Camp with various official documents in his hand.

Although running a program may not seem like a big deal, it is extremely cumbersome, and if one link is wrong, it may cause a lot of trouble.

Fortunately, Ye Mingsheng had a good friend, Kong Ruian. With his help, Ye Mingsheng was on the fast track. It took him just over an hour to run through the Imperial Guards Camp and the Ministry of War, completing all the procedures for the handover task that normally would take seven days to complete.
At this point, Ye Mingsheng finally completed the task assigned to him by Xu Zhaojie and completed the official document procedures.

After handing over the task, it was not the end for Ye Mingsheng, but a new beginning. He needed to pull the team to the parade ground and carry out new procedures, counting the number of people, weapons, armor and other supplies, reporting the war damage to the Ministry of War and the Imperial Army Camp, and asking for silver and bounties. Due to the inconvenience of transportation in ancient times, the Imperial Army would receive a settlement fee before going on an expedition. Generally, the silver during the expedition would not be paid until they returned.

Therefore, after Ye Mingsheng returned, the first thing he did was to count the number of people, and count the number of soldiers who died in battle and the number of soldiers still alive as quickly as possible. Then he would apply to the Ministry of War and the Imperial Guards Camp, and then wait for the application to be approved, so that the reward money could be issued, and pensions could be provided for the dead and wounded soldiers, and tax reductions for their families, etc.

Because there were only about 400 people left, the roll call on the parade ground was quickly concluded. After Chen Yannian got the results and completed the summary, he walked out of the queue, holding the roster, and reported to Ye Mingsheng:

"Reporting to the commander, there are 412 of our troops who have returned, and a total of 757 people were killed in the Northern Expedition Palace!"

Although he had already made an estimate in his mind, Ye Mingsheng's heart tightened when he heard such a casualty toll. These 757 may seem like a cold number, but they are made up of human lives...
Taking the roster, Ye Mingsheng glanced at the information on it, nodded silently, then turned to Kong Ruian and asked, "Have you figured out the losses of weapons, armor, and horses?"

"Well, the statistics have been completed. Please take a look, sir!" Kong Ruian handed a booklet to Ye Mingsheng.

Taking the booklet, Ye Mingsheng glanced at it briefly and felt that there was no problem, so he handed the roster and the booklet to Kong Ruian.

"Brother Kong, those who are capable should do more work. I'm leaving this matter to you!"

Although Ye Mingsheng's voice was not loud, everyone heard it clearly. In an instant, the expectant eyes of more than 400 people on the parade ground were all focused on Kong Ruian.

Everyone knows that, according to the formal procedures, this matter should be handled by Ye Mingsheng, the commander. However, if Ye Mingsheng really handles this matter, given the administrative efficiency of the Ministry of War, even if everyone can get the money, it will be at least a month later. If Kong Ruian, who has extensive connections, handles it, the money may be in the pocket within seven days.

Feeling everyone's gaze, Kong Ruian suddenly felt a great deal of pressure, but he couldn't refuse. He touched his nose awkwardly, and then in front of everyone, he took the two booklets from Ye Mingsheng and said with a wry smile:

"I'll do my best!"

"Believe in yourself! Once this matter is done, I will treat you to a meal at Yunxuan Building!" Ye Mingsheng patted Kong Ruian's shoulder respectfully. While speaking, Ye Mingsheng winked at Kong Ruian and showed a smile that you know.

Hearing the words "Yunxuan Tower", Kong Ruian's small eyes suddenly showed a gleam of light, and he patted his chest and assured: "Five days is enough!"

After getting Kong Ruian's promise, Ye Mingsheng nodded with satisfaction, and then told Chen Yannian: "Now that the major matters have been dealt with, the remaining minor matters will be handled by you, Lord Chen. Soldiers who have families can go home, and those who don't can stay in the barracks. Pay attention to military discipline and don't be too presumptuous."

"I'm going to go back and take a rest. I haven't been back for more than a year. I don't know what my home has become like!"

(End of this chapter)