Chapter 190: Lieutenant General Xing Dalin (Thanks to the book friend Mo Shaobao for the reward)
"According to the order of the lieutenant general, County Magistrate Ma has arranged many measures and is waiting for Ye Mingsheng to return to the county to recruit soldiers. However, no one expected that Ye Mingsheng did not return to the county, but went directly to Yejia Village in the countryside to recruit people directly from there."

“By the time Magistrate Ma got the news, Ye Mingsheng had already recruited 2,000 men. And who knows if this thief was so bold as to lead his men to attack the county town…”

"Although Magistrate Ma led the soldiers and constables to fight hard, they were still outnumbered. Not only did the county fall, but he himself was also captured and placed under house arrest by Ye Mingsheng!"

According to Xing Dalin's request, the gray-clothed servant explained in detail:
Xing Dalin listened to the gray-clothed servant's narration for a long time without saying anything. After a long while, he continued to ask, "What is the current situation in Fengshan County?"

"The county has fallen into the control of Ye Mingsheng. At this rate, it won't be long before Ye Mingsheng will recruit 5,000 soldiers..." The gray-clothed servant recalled the situation and answered in a low voice:

Hearing this, Xing Dalin's eyes instantly turned cold, and he cursed viciously: "You are all a bunch of trash. What's the point of the Governor keeping you?"

Although the gray-clothed servant felt very aggrieved when he heard this, he did not dare to argue. He could only bow his head, not daring to say anything, and silently endured the scolding.

After cursing a few more times and venting his anger, Xing Dalin ordered, "Go back to Fengshan County and keep a close eye on Ye Mingsheng. Report any of his movements to me immediately. Do you understand?"

"I understand!" Seeing that Xing Dalin was finally going to let him go, the gray-clothed servant immediately became energetic and nodded repeatedly.

Seeing this, Xing Dalin waved his hand irritably, and the gray-clothed servant walked out of the room as if relieved.

After the gray-clothed servant left, Xing Dalin gradually calmed down. After thinking for a moment, he stood up, straightened his official robes, walked out of the yamen, got on the carriage waiting outside the yamen, and ordered:

"To the Governor's Palace!"

An incense stick later, the carriage carrying Xing Dalin stopped in front of the Governor's Mansion. Xing Dalin immediately got off the carriage. As the Governor's trusted and beloved general, he walked into the Governor's Mansion as if he knew the place well. Seeing him coming, the guards at the Governor's Mansion did not dare to stop him.

After passing through several layers of guards, Xing Dalin finally arrived outside the study of this vast governor's mansion.

"Master Xing is here!"

Seeing Xing Dalin appear, an old man dressed in butler's clothes, thin but very energetic, greeted him with a smile:
"Hello, Butler Liu!"

Although the other party was just a housekeeper, Xing Dalin, knowing that this person was the person Song Wenhui trusted the most, still did not dare to be careless and quickly bowed.

"Lord Xing, you are really embarrassing me..." Although Butler Liu spoke modestly in response to Xing Dalin's greeting, his wrinkled old face was full of smiles.

"How does the Governor feel?" Xing Dalin asked in a low voice. As he spoke, he took out a fifty-liang silver note from his bosom and handed it to Butler Liu in a very covert manner.

After secretly glancing at the face value on the banknote, the smile on the face of the housekeeper Liu became even more intense. His wrinkled old face was almost like a chrysanthemum when he smiled. He said in a low voice, "It's not very good. The bastards of the Gongsun family have mobilized all kinds of relationships to recruit at least 10,000 soldiers for the Zhenwu Army. The master just beat a lot of people with a stick. Lord Xing should be careful!"

Xing Dalin couldn't help but look startled when he heard this, and he spoke again: "Thank you for telling me, butler!"

"It's okay, it's okay!" Butler Liu smiled and waved his hand.

After waiting outside the study for about a cup of tea, Xing Dalin finally walked into the study. Although he had expected this, when he saw Song Wenhui's gloomy expression, he undoubtedly behaved more cautiously. He swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue and thought carefully to see if there was anything taboo...

After seeing Xing Dalin coming in, he was silent and fidgety. Song Wenhui, who was already in a very bad mood because of the Gongsun family, asked impatiently:

"What happened?"

Hearing Song Wenhui's question, Xing Dalin answered with a stiff face: "Reporting to the Governor, Ye Mingsheng is much more difficult to deal with than the rumors say. He now controls Fengshan County and has recruited 2,000 militiamen."

Upon hearing this, Song Wenhui glanced at Xing Dalin coldly and said in a deep voice:
"If I'm not old and confused, I should remember correctly that Xing Dalin told me a month ago that Ye Mingsheng was not a concern and that we could kill him with a little trick, right?"

As soon as these words came out, the tall and mighty Xing Dalin immediately lowered his head in shame, and after hesitating for a while, he had to admit:
“I was careless. I had originally arranged for Fengshan County Magistrate Ma Runchuan to secretly sabotage Ye Mingsheng’s recruitment, and then ordered a group of bandits to attack and kill the Ye family.

“I thought that by using both of these moves, I could definitely kill Ye Mingsheng and deter those villains who are sitting on the fence and watching… Although there is still no news about the bandits, I don’t think they can do anything to Ye Mingsheng.”

"I beg you to send me another thousand men and I will go to Fengshan County immediately to capture Ye Mingsheng for you!" Xing Dalin pleaded firmly:

Under Xing Dalin's hopeful gaze, Song Wenhui was silent for a while, then slowly said: "Put aside the matter of dealing with Ye Mingsheng for now..."

Xing Dalin was shocked when he heard this. He couldn't understand why Song Wenhui made such arrangements.

Although he had followed Song Wenhui for many years and knew that Song Wenhui would not make decisions easily, once he made a decision, it would be difficult to change it, but Xing Dalin hesitated for a moment, but still couldn't help but continue to advise:
"Governor, Ye Mingsheng attacked Fengshan County Government out of madness. We can use this as an excuse to nip him in the bud once and for all. The Zhenwu Army won't be able to say anything!"

"This thief is developing very rapidly. If we allow him to continue to develop, he will become a serious threat to you one day. Please think twice!"

Although Xing Dalin's words were sincere, he was extremely disappointed that Song Wenhui remained indifferent and said lightly:
"Ye Mingsheng may become a hidden danger in the future, but the current priority is the Gongsun family. If we continue to let the Gongsun family develop, the situation in Liaoyang will become unstable!"

(End of this chapter)