Chapter 236: Suppressing the Three Mountains! (Two chapters combined into one, thanks to the book friend Zi Feifan for the reward!)

Toyosu
In a scenic pavilion somewhere, a charming young woman in a white cherry blossom kimono with eyes full of charm was sitting on a stone chair opposite a skinny old man in a leather jacket smoking a pipe.

If someone who doesn't know the identities of these two people sees this scene, some doubts may arise in their mind...
I don't know what this pretty fairy with a wet face can talk about with this skinny old man.

But if someone knew the identities of these two people, they would be terrified and would run as far away from them as possible!

The two people are the Black Dragon Society's president, Kobayakawa Takahide, and the Liaoyang Green Gang leader Zhen Sanshan.

They all treat human life as a joke and kill people without blinking an eye!
Especially this Zhen Sanshan. I don’t know how many people from Liaoyang were scared by their parents when they were young. If you are not obedient, Zhen Sanshan will catch you and eat your meat!

After finishing a bag of dry tobacco, Zhen Sanshan knocked the eye bag pot on the sole of his shoe, then looked at the smiling Kobayakawa Takahide in front of him, and said without any emotion:
"you failed·········"

Although Zhen Sanshan did not specify anything, Kobayakawa Takahide still understood what he meant. He smiled and said softly:

"I also didn't expect Huo Xiaoli to arrange Tian Zongze to protect Ye Mingsheng personally..."

Zhen Sanshan did not say anything in response to Kobayakawa Takahide's answer, but just looked quietly at the young Japanese woman in front of him.

Under the gaze of Zhen Sanshan, Xiaobayakawa shook his head helplessly and said: "Zheng Sang, three hundred cannons will be delivered to Posuo Mansion within half a month..."

Upon hearing this, Zhen Sanshan nodded and did not pursue the issue further.

Zhen Sanshan, the leader of the Liaoyang green forest, was originally named Zheng and given name Sanshan. Zhen Sanshan is the homonym of his name. However, after being active in Liaoyang for decades, everyone remembers the name Zhen Sanshan, but few people remember his real name.

Seeing that Zhen Sanshan was satisfied, Kobayakawa Takahide said meaningfully:
"Zheng Sang, Ye Mingsheng's appointment as Fengzhou's general will be announced soon..."

Zhen Sanshan didn't say anything, his face remained calm and there was no sign of any change. He just silently added some more tobacco leaves into the eye bag pot in his hand.

"I know Zheng Sang. You have been active in Liaoyang for many years. Even Song Wenhui, the governor of Liaoyang who commands an army of 100,000, can't do anything to you!"

"But this Ye Mingsheng is also a person that should not be underestimated!"

"Although this man is not very old, he has experienced many battles in the Imperial Army of the Great Zhou Dynasty. He became famous for his surprise attack on Liujing during the Battle of Gongdu. He became a senior military officer of the Great Zhou Dynasty when he was in his early twenties."

"It has only been a few months since Ye Mingsheng returned to Liaoyang. He recruited soldiers and recruited the Guo family father and son from Jiukong Cliff. Without anyone noticing, the number of soldiers has reached 7,000."

"What's even more shocking is that this man can easily annihilate Zheng Sang, your sworn brother Wang Sang..."

"An Zhirong and Shen Jianzhong sent this person to Fengzhou. It can be said that they have high hopes for him!"

Facing Kobayakawa Takahide's flattery of Ye Mingsheng, Zhen Sanshan remained silent, took a puff of cigarette, and then slowly said under the gray smoke:

“Just a young kid…”

"It was An Zhirong and Shen Jianzhong who pushed him to the front and used his name to do evil. Their tricks could be hidden from Chen Dechang, but not from an old man like me!"

Seeing that Zhen Sanshan had a prejudice against Ye Mingsheng, Kobayakawa Takahide pursed his lips and smiled very reservedly, and said nothing more.

At this time, Zhen Sanshan seemed to have thought of something, and immediately asked in a deep voice:
"Did Yelu Yan agree to An Zhirong's request to send troops?"

Upon hearing this question, Kobayakawa Takahide's expression also became serious, and he nodded and said:

"The blocking of Fengzhou's trade route also hurts Yelu Yan's interests. In principle, Yelu Yan is willing to send troops, but as for the Khitans, you know they are greedy by nature. It's not easy for An Zhirong to get them to send troops!"

Zhen Sanshan was silent for a while, then said quietly: "Ye Mingsheng is not a concern, but the Khitan cavalry under Yelu Yan may be small in number but extremely powerful in combat..."

In response to Zhen Sanshan's words, Kobayakawa Takahide shook his head helplessly and said:
"Zheng Sang, as a partner I really want to help you, but unfortunately, after the palace was actually occupied by the Great Zhou, our Black Dragon Society suffered heavy losses, and the Red Tide Force lost more than half of its manpower."

"Half a month ago, Sato Kaga emphasized the ambush resolution at a meeting, prohibiting military operations. Any operation involving more than a hundred people must be approved by him!"

"He is the president, and more than half of the Black Dragon Society's senior executives are his confidants. I can't do anything about what he has decided, so I'm sorry, Mr. Zheng, the only thing I can do to help you now is to provide you with information!" Seeing that Kobayakawa Takahide was so decisive and left no room for maneuver, Zhen Sanshan frowned, and then spoke again:
"I want 100,000 shi of grain!"

"Zheng Sang, I might be able to give you a few thousand dan of grain, but your appetite is too big. Even Sato Kaga doesn't have the authority to do so..." Kobayakawa Takahide said with a little dissatisfaction:
"I didn't ask you to deliver it. I also know you don't have the power to do it. Go back and tell Sato Kaga that I bought 100,000 shi of grain from him, and the price is 30% higher than the market price!" Zhen Sanshan said lightly:
"Since Mr. Zheng is willing to offer to buy it, then there is naturally no problem. I am willing to apply to President Sato!" Kobayakawa Takahide said happily:

"I'm waiting for your good news!" After leaving these words, Zhen Sanshan dusted himself off, turned around and walked away.

As Zhen Sanshan walked out of the pavilion, more than a dozen strong men suddenly rushed out from the surroundings and escorted him away.

When Zhen Sanshan walked away, a middle-aged warrior with a topknot appeared beside Kobayakawa Takahide and said with some disdain:
"Bandits are bandits, they are short-sighted indeed!"

"When they fall flat on their faces at the hands of Ye Mingsheng and are severely punished, they will probably remember your words, President!"

Upon hearing this, Kobayakawa Takahide smiled, shook his head and said:

"Mr. Ishihara, you really underestimate Zhen Sanshan!"

"The fact that this man has been able to thrive in Liaoyang for so many years is definitely not just a simple matter. He is extremely cunning and as hard to figure out as an old fox..."

"This old man has always been very cautious. Since he knows that Ye Mingsheng was sent by An Zhirong and Shen Jianzhong to deal with him,
"He must have investigated Ye Mingsheng a long time ago, and of course he should understand that Ye Mingsheng is extraordinary. In all likelihood, he is just acting with me to test my attitude!"

"If you really believe what he says, you will fall into his trap!"

Ishihara Yasuo raised his thumb and praised: "No matter how cunning the fox is, it is difficult to escape from the hunter's hand!"

Kobayakawa Takahide was somewhat unimpressed by his subordinates' flattery and said calmly:
"Prepare 30,000 shi of grain and wait a month before sending it to Zhen Sanshan!"

Ishihara Yasuo asked in confusion: "President, doesn't this old man want 100,000 koku of grain?"

Hearing Ishihara Yasuo's question, Kobayakawa Takahide, who was angry at his lack of resistance, shook his head in disappointment and said:
"Mr. Ishihara, have you ever thought about why a big bandit like Zhen Sanshan would buy food from our Black Dragon Society?"

"If he was short of food, why didn't he just go and rob it like he did before?"

Kobayakawa Takahide's question immediately hit Ishihara Yasuo's blind spot, leaving him stunned...

"this···········"

Looking at Ishihara Yasuo who was hesitating but still couldn't explain anything, Kobayakawa Takahide waved his hand helplessly. Ishihara Yasuo suddenly felt as if he had been pardoned. He bowed 90 degrees to Kobayakawa Takahide and then retreated in shame.

Kobayakawa Takahide ignored Ishihara Yasuo's departure. She looked in the direction where Zhen Sanshan left and murmured in a low voice:
"What Zhou Ren said is indeed true. The older a person gets, the less courageous he becomes. Zhen Sanshan is getting old..."

As she spoke, Kobayakawa Takahide regretted for the first time her collaboration with Zhen Sanshan!

Relying on his understanding of Zhen Sanshan, Kobayakawa Takahide knew that Zhen Sanshan, as a big bandit leader, had at least 200,000 dan of grain. Judging from the scale of Zhen Sanshan's troops, he was actually not short of food!

Then the problem is coming.

Why would a big bandit leader who has no shortage of food be willing to pay 30% higher than the market price to purchase 100,000 shi of grain?
In Kobayakawa Takahide's view, there is only one answer to this question.

That is, Zhen Sanshan is preparing to store up food, close the mountain gate tightly, and not let anyone go out!
Only in this way can we explain why Zhen Sanshan did not rob food, but instead bought food at a high price!
Although Zhen Sanshan said he was disdainful of Ye Mingsheng, he was actually still wary of Ye Mingsheng.

However, the appearance of Ye Mingsheng should be only a minor factor. The main reason is that with the arrival of the Zhenwu Army, Zhen Sanshan couldn't figure out the future development of the situation in Liaoyang. He wanted to protect himself and not become a target. Therefore, he acted cautiously...

This decision of Zhen Sanshan was obviously bad news for Kobayakawa Takahide.

As an ambitious person, she decided to cooperate with Zhen Sanshan in the first place because she wanted to use Zhen Sanshan's strength and influence in the green forest to stir up the situation, fish in troubled waters, and take the opportunity to let the Black Dragon Society enter Liaoyang.

Therefore, the current turbulent situation in Liaoyang is a good opportunity for Kobayakawa Takahide to gear up and show her skills, but Zhen Sanshan's stagnation is undoubtedly a bucket of cold water for her!
(End of this chapter)