Chapter 296: Trouble Entering the City ( words long chapter! Please subscribe!)
In addition to Guo Zhiping and Xun Ke, the one who was promoted to commander was Ye Tie!

Although Ye Tie's contributions were not as great as the first two in terms of military merit, Ye Mingsheng never cared about Ye Tie's contributions...

Ye Mingsheng needs such a loyal subordinate to handle some things for him that do not require very high abilities but require absolute loyalty.

In addition, Ye Tie can also serve as a ballast to balance the internal situation by controlling the army!
In short, Ye Mingsheng promoted Ye Tie, Xun Ke and Guo Zhiping for different purposes and ideas.

To be honest, in addition to these three people, Ye Mingsheng also wants to reuse one person!

This person is Liang Xuezhan, the commander of the third battalion!

Although Ye Mingsheng knew that Liang Xuechang was very capable through some of his past experiences, it was not until this war with the Khitans that Ye Mingsheng truly witnessed his abilities.

Ye Mingsheng admired Liang Xuezhan’s talent very much and originally wanted to make use of him this time!
In the previous strategic deployment, Yuan Song's First Battalion and Lin Huaiwu's Second Battalion were stationed in Qumaling, one to protect the caravan of Dalongchang, which was Ye Mingsheng's source of wealth, and the other in Xinfa County to guard against Ye Mingsheng's biggest enemy, the Khitans.

Therefore, Ye Mingsheng also consciously invested more weapons and equipment and better soldiers into these two forces to ensure their combat effectiveness.

After all, Ye Mingsheng had limited resources, so being stationed in Fengzhou as the third battalion of the general reserve was relatively disadvantageous...

This time, after witnessing Liang Xuechang's ability and realizing the threat from the Khitans, Ye Mingsheng realized that Lin Huaiwu's ability was not enough to deal with the threat from the Khitans, so Ye Mingsheng had the idea of ​​changing generals.

And the first choice for this replacement is of course Liang Xuechang!
Although he knew that Liang Xuezhan was Chen Dechang's man, because he had behaved very honestly and had not done anything unusual in the previous period of time, Ye Mingsheng originally planned to give him some trust, expand the Third Battalion to 3,000 people, and add some equipment.

But just two days ago, when Ye Mingsheng was about to issue the order, Huo San's spy planted in Liang Xuezhan's mansion discovered that Liang Xuezhan secretly sent his personal soldiers to Changqing Mansion to deliver a letter.

Ye Mingsheng didn’t know the content of the letter, but he knew that Chen Dechang was now in Changqing Prefecture, so it was not difficult to guess who Liang Xuezhan wrote the letter to and the content of the letter.
Because Liang Xuechang was an eye sent by Chen Dechang, Ye Mingsheng was not surprised that Liang Xuechang wrote a letter to Chen Dechang.

However, he did feel a little disappointed, so naturally he canceled his offer to use Liang Xuechang.

Xinfa County can be said to be the backbone of Fengzhou. It was necessary to block the offensive of the Khitans at the beginning of the war and buy time for Fengzhou to gather troops.

Therefore, the generals stationed here not only need to be capable, but also absolutely loyal, and be able to execute Ye Mingsheng's orders 100% without any compromise!
Although Ye Mingsheng doesn't have to worry too much about Liang Xuezhan's ability to guard Xinfa County, if Ye Mingsheng's orders conflict with Chen Dechang's orders and Liang Xuezhan does something tricky, Ye Mingsheng will be in tears.

Although this possibility is not very high, Ye Mingsheng does not dare to gamble his life and property...
So you, Liang Xuezhan, should just behave yourself, stay in Fengzhou, under Ye Mingsheng's supervision, and play the role of the captain of the reserve team!

The person who replaced Liang Xuechang was Yuan Song. First of all, Ye Mingsheng was confident in his abilities. Secondly, although Yuan Song was not like Lin Huaiwu, who was his subordinate at the beginning, but joined later through the introduction of Chen Yannian, during this period, Ye Mingsheng had won Yuan Song's loyalty by using a combination of kindness and force, so Ye Mingsheng was still confident in Yuan Song.

In addition, the Xiangshui Plain where the Dalongchang caravan passed through is a plain area with open terrain. Yuan Song's first battalion is mainly composed of infantry. In such a terrain environment, facing the cavalry that may appear in Zhensanshan, they will be very passive and restricted everywhere, so it is better to transfer them to Xinfa County to defend the city.

It would be better to leave the task of protecting the caravan to Guo Zhiping and his cavalry battalion. On the one hand, their cavalry are more mobile, and on the other hand, they can maximize the combat effectiveness of their cavalry in the plains and better ensure the safety of the caravan.

···················
···················
Just when Ye Mingsheng was in his general's mansion, making strategic deployments and personnel appointments for his troops.

Dozens of well-equipped knights escorted a carriage to the gate of Fengzhou. The guards at the gate would naturally interrogate such a group of people to find out their identities, their purpose in coming to Fengzhou, and whether they were carrying any contraband...
Zhu Shanyan, the commander of the Zhenwu Army who was in charge of the interrogation, came to the front of the convoy with several of his men. When they were about to do their routine work, Zheng Xu, the chief steward of the prefecture, came over with a dozen servants and said to Zhu Shanyan, who was guarding the city, in a high-handed manner:
"The people in this car are the distinguished guests of the prefect. Why don't you let them go quickly? What are you waiting for?"

Zhu Shanyan, who was guarding the city, also knew who Zheng Xu was. Although he was not offended when he heard what he said, he could not help but hesitate. However, when he thought of the strict military discipline in the barracks, he made up his mind and bowed to Zheng Xu politely and said:
"Butler Zheng, I haven't received any orders from above to release them without inspection, so I still have to go through the routine procedures. Don't worry, I won't delay your distinguished guests for too long..."

Although Zhu Shanyan was very polite, Zheng Xu was furious when he heard what he said. He pointed at Zhu Shanyan's nose and said coldly:

"How dare you make things difficult for the governor's distinguished guest? I think you don't want to live anymore!"

Feeling the undisguised threat in Zheng Xu's words, Zhu Shanyan immediately revealed a bitter smile on his face, but he did not back down. He could only helplessly smile and said:

"Butler Zheng, you misunderstood. I am of low rank and I look down upon you. Even if you gave me ten times the courage, I would not dare to make things difficult for the governor's distinguished guest!"

“The truth is that my Zhenwu Army has strict discipline. I haven’t received any orders from above. If I let them go privately, I will really lose my head. I hope that Steward Zheng will understand...”

Hearing that Zhu Shanyan in front of him had rejected him one after another, Zheng Xu was even more furious. He had never thought that a small captain under Ye Mingsheng would be so stubborn. Seeing this, he was too lazy to talk nonsense. He just waved his hand, pointed at Zhu Shanyan and said coldly:
"Catch this bold lunatic for me!"

After receiving Zheng Xu's order, the servants behind him suddenly became excited and rushed towards Zhu Shanyan with a lot of noise.

Zhu Shanyan never expected that Zheng Xu, the chief steward of the prefecture, would suddenly attack him. However, he was not in vain as the captain. With three punches and two kicks, he knocked these slaves who only relied on their superiors to fall to the ground. Then, with a wave of his hand, his soldiers surrounded Zheng Xu and others. As the saying goes, "Even a clay man has some earthiness." Even if Zhu Shanyan had a good temper, he was a little angry at this moment. However, he was still calm. He controlled his emotions and said in a deep voice:

"Butler Zheng, I am on duty, please don't make mistakes!"

"Humph! This is Fengzhou. My master is the governor of Fengzhou. How can I be afraid of a mere captain like you?"

Even though his men were already lying on the ground after being beaten, Zheng Xu, who relied on Murong Yuliang's support, did not lose his arrogance in the slightest.

Seeing that the situation was about to escalate, the carriage that had remained silent finally moved. A tall, handsome, middle-aged man dressed in luxurious clothes walked out of the carriage.

Seeing this person appear, Zheng Xu restrained himself and said, "I am extremely sorry for disturbing Lord Cui..."

Cui Dakai smiled and waved his hand, then said to Zhu Shanyan calmly:
"I am Cui Dakai from the Cui family in Guangning Prefecture. In terms of seniority, I am the uncle of your general. I came to Fengzhou to talk to your general. I wonder if this captain would like to get on the carriage to check on you?"

Hearing Cui Dakai's words, Zhu Shanyan's head suddenly buzzed. He never expected that the person he stopped was Marshal Ye's uncle. Although it was a little unbelievable, he was so unlucky to meet Marshal's family by such a coincidence.

But seeing how respectful Zheng Xu was to this man, he knew that what this middle-aged man, who looked of high status, said was probably true...

Although he was extremely frustrated and shocked, Zhu Shanyan still managed to remain calm and said:

"Since you are the Marshal's family, then everything is easy to talk about. I am just following orders. If there is any offense, I hope Master Cui will forgive me!"

As Zhu Shanyan spoke, he waved his right hand, and the surrounding soldiers put away their weapons and made way. Seeing this, Cui Dakai said nothing, but looked at Zhu Shanyan deeply, then returned to the carriage, and under the guidance of Zheng Xu and others, headed towards the direction of the prefectural government.

Before leaving, Zheng Xu glared at Zhu Shanyan fiercely, and the meaning in his eyes was self-evident.

Watching the group of people leaving, Zhu Shanyan felt extremely bitter, wondering why he was so unlucky...
Then Zhu Shanyan changed his mind again. Looking at the look in Zheng Xu's eyes, he knew that he would definitely not let him go. Whether he stretched his neck out or shrunk it, he would be stabbed. He definitely could not escape. Instead of this, he might as well confess voluntarily. Maybe he could get a lighter sentence!
After thinking about it carefully, Zhu Shanyan made up his mind. After finishing his duty an hour later, he found his sentry leader Ye Tie. Upon hearing this, Ye Tie did not dare to delay and quickly took Zhu Shanyan to the general's mansion to meet Ye Mingsheng.

Under Ye Mingsheng's order, Zhu Shanyan narrated the whole story to Ye Mingsheng, then lowered his head nervously, not daring to speak anymore. He could only glance at Ye Mingsheng out of the corner of his eye.

Although Zhu Shanyan's surname is not Ye, he is also a hunter living in the villages around Yejia Village in Fengshan County.

He had heard since he was a child that the Ye family had a man named Ye Mingsheng, who was the incarnation of Wu Qu star and served as a high-ranking official in the emperor's imperial guards. He was very powerful and the Ye family became famous in Fengshan County. Even the high and mighty county magistrate did not dare to neglect the Ye family and treated them with great courtesy.

For passionate young people like Zhu Shanyan, Ye Mingsheng's deeds are particularly attractive to them. They are eager to make contributions to the country like Ye Mingsheng, become high-ranking officials, bring honor to their families, and become the envy of everyone!
Therefore, when he heard that Ye Mingsheng had returned to Fengshan County to recruit soldiers, Zhu Shanyan immediately ignored his family's objections and became the first batch of soldiers recruited by Ye Mingsheng...

Because he was born a hunter, Zhu Shanyan's physical condition was naturally better than that of ordinary people. Coupled with the extraordinary courage he had honed from fighting wits and courage with ferocious beasts in the mountains, Zhu Shanyan could be said to stand out among the many new recruits.

Soon, he was valued by Ye Tie because of his excellent training results and his bravery and courage in fighting against bandits and Khitans, in which he chopped off the heads of seven bandits and five Khitans.

In just half a year, Zhu Shanyan was promoted from a new recruit to sergeant, from sergeant to captain, and from captain to current captain, becoming one of Ye Tie's most valued subordinates.

As his official position continued to rise, Zhu Shanyan's sense of belonging to the Zhenwu Army became stronger and stronger, and he worshipped Ye Mingsheng and Marshal Ye even more!
After a moment of silence, Ye Mingsheng looked at Zhu Shanyan and said:
"Are you guilty?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Shanyan, who had already been mentally prepared, knelt down in front of Ye Mingsheng with a plop, lowered his head and said:
"I know my crime. I offended the Marshal's uncle and also offended the chief steward Zheng of the prefectural government. I deserve death. If the Marshal wants to beat or kill me, I will not hesitate. I will let the Marshal deal with me!"

After he finished speaking, Zhu Shanyan kowtowed three times to Ye Mingsheng.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

After Zhu Shanyan finished speaking, Ye Tie quietly took a look at Ye Mingsheng's face and felt that Ye Mingsheng was not angry. He also plucked up the courage to plead with Ye Mingsheng for his trusted and beloved general:
"Master, although Zhu Shanyan made a mistake this time, Zheng Xu did not inform him in advance, and Zhu Shanyan also acted according to the rules..."

Before Ye Tie finished speaking, Ye Mingsheng waved his hand to interrupt him, then looked at Zhu Shanyan and said slowly:

"You stopped Cui Dakai and acted according to military rules and discipline. What's wrong with that?"

"It seems that you still haven't truly realized your mistake..."

(End of this chapter)