Chapter 142 Chen Dechang's Request and Price (Thanks to the monthly ticket of book friend Wang Shi Sui Yuan!)
But no matter what, the commander-in-chief is still the supreme commander of the Zhenwu Army. It is nice to take shelter under a big tree. If Chen Dechang can get a little bit of benefit from his fingers, it will be enough for him to make a living.

And the most important point is that most of the middle-level military officers of the Zhenwu Army are Wang Muzhi's old subordinates. They have no shortage of people. Even if I want to pay a visit to them, I can't find the way, and I won't be valued either.

Therefore, it is a good choice to stand on Chen Dechang's side now. Ye Mingsheng lowered his head and carefully considered what he was going to say next. He knew very well what his bargaining chips were when facing Chen Dechang, and what he wanted to get from Chen Dechang.

It took a full cup of tea for Chen Dechang to put down the brush in his hand, blew the ink on the paper, and then stuffed the paper into the envelope with great satisfaction. He then called a family member and asked him to submit the letter to the Ministry of War.

After doing all this, Chen Dechang remembered that Ye Mingsheng had been standing in the study, waiting for a while. He looked Ye Mingsheng up and down with a sharp eye like a hawk, and then said lightly:

"General Huwei, you must be getting impatient!"

Hearing Chen Dechang addressing him as General Huwei, Ye Mingsheng's heart moved, and he immediately bowed and saluted, saying, "Your Excellency is busy with military affairs, so it's not a big deal for me to wait for a while!"

After answering the question, Ye Mingsheng paused, then bowed deeply to Chen Dechang again, pretending to be very grateful and said:
"I will never forget your kindness, sir. I have no way to repay you, so I will take up the whip and drop the stirrup to repay your kindness!"

Although Ye Mingsheng's words were a bit corny, seeing how sensible he was, Chen Dechang's old face was expressionless and he didn't seem to have any emotional fluctuations, but there was still a hint of approval in his eyes, and he said lightly:
"General Hu Wei, there is no need to do this. I was appointed as the commander by the imperial court, so I cannot just sit there and do nothing, and let a loyal and capable general like General Ye feel that his talent is not appreciated!"

Upon hearing this, Ye, a "loyal minister and good general" of the Great Zhou court, was naturally grateful and shed tears. He also expressed his loyalty to Chen Dechang.

Feeling Ye Mingsheng's implicit intention to surrender, Chen Dechang nodded secretly in his heart, knowing that his work for Ye Mingsheng was not in vain, and he won over Ye Mingsheng, the "number one thug" in Bai Renxuan's plan who was fighting with Wang Muzhi in the Zhenwu Army.

After talking about winning over others, Chen Dechang started a new topic and began the main topic of today.

"General Ye, I heard that you are from Liaoyang?" Looking at Ye Mingsheng, Chen Dechang slowly asked:
Seeing that Chen Dechang was asking knowingly, Ye Mingsheng knew what he wanted to say, but he still followed the rules and said respectfully:

"Yes, I am from Fengshan County, Liaoyang. In the early years of Anhe, I was fortunate enough to be a martial artist in Liaoyang and entered the Zhaowu Camp, and then transferred to the Imperial Guards to serve."

"Oh... so that's the case... Then General Ye, do you have any relatives in Liaoyang?" After Chen Dechang finished speaking, he stared at Ye Mingsheng's face, as if he wanted to see something from Ye Mingsheng's expression.

Facing Chen Dechang's gaze, Ye Mingsheng, who had already known his purpose, did not hesitate, bowed to Chen Dechang, and said:
"My mother is from the Cui family of Liaoyang. I am willing to do my best to help Zhenwu Army and the people of Liaoyang..."

Seeing that Ye Mingsheng realized his intention, Chen Dechang nodded with a smile, but the next second, he pretended to be a little depressed and said:
"The Prime Minister has allocated 30,000 places for the Zhenwu Army. The situation in Liaoyang is complicated and the task of recruiting soldiers is arduous. I am very distressed. I wonder if General Ye has any good suggestions?" Chen Dechang's question made Ye Mingsheng a little stumped, but he was not distressed because of how difficult the question itself was.

As the head of the Zhenwu Army, Chen Dechang was certainly not a fool. He naturally knew that if he wanted to recruit troops in Liaoyang under the suppression of Song Wenhui, he must get the support of the local aristocratic families.

And I have already promised him that I will help him contact the aristocratic families. If that's the case, why does he say this? What's the deep meaning behind this question?

Looking at Ye Mingsheng who was thinking hard, Chen Dechang, who asked the question, sat on the armchair and smiled without saying a word. He picked up the teacup and drank the tea leisurely.
After thinking for nearly a minute and thinking about Chen Dechang's question carefully, Ye Mingsheng finally understood. He couldn't help but smile bitterly in his heart. As expected, Chen Dechang, a fifth-rank general, was not so easy to please. Before he even had time to warm up his seat, Chen Dechang was setting targets for him...

Knowing that he could not escape the recruitment target, Ye Mingsheng spoke without hesitation:
"I am willing to recruit 5,000 soldiers for the Zhenwu Army and the Commander-in-Chief!"

Seeing that Ye Mingsheng did not refuse and was given one-sixth of the troops' share as soon as he opened his mouth, Chen Dechang smiled slightly but shook his head.

Seeing Chen Dechang shaking his head, Ye Mingsheng frowned slightly, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "I wonder how many soldiers you want me to recruit?"

"Ten thousand people!"

Facing Ye Mingsheng's question, Chen Dechang did not keep him in suspense and said decisively:
Upon hearing this number, Ye Mingsheng's face suddenly turned bitter. Without much hesitation, he wanted to bow to Chen Dechang to refuse. However, Chen Dechang had already anticipated his reaction. He raised his hand to interrupt him and said with a smile:
"General Ye, don't be anxious. Just listen to what I have to say!"

"Of course I know that it is indeed difficult for General Ye to recruit 10,000 soldiers, but those who are capable should do more work. I believe that General Ye has the ability..."

Listening to the nice words Chen Dechang said to him, Ye Mingsheng would not accept the task of recruiting 10,000 soldiers on impulse. However, just as he was about to continue to refuse, Chen Dechang's next words caught his attention.

"General Ye, the Zhenwu Army is newly established. The only ones above you, General Huwei, are me, the Commander-in-Chief Gongsun Heng, and the Commander-in-Chief Wang Muzhi!"

“Because of this, General Ye, you have a very heavy responsibility on your shoulders. The initial plan of the Zhenwu Army is to train fifteen battalions. I intend to let you lead three battalions. When these ten thousand people are recruited, everything in the Zhenwu Army will be on the right track. General Ye can also be promoted from the fifth rank to a full rank. Your future is bright and limitless…”

Although Chen Dechang's words sounded calm, as soon as he said this, Ye Mingsheng, who was about to refuse outright, suddenly had a gleam in his eyes, and the words he was about to say could not come out.

(End of this chapter)