Chapter 308: Disasters in troubled times! (Thanks to book friend Zhang Qiandan from Harbin for the reward!)

After He Jingyun said everything he needed to say to Ye Mingsheng, he said goodbye and left without staying with Ye Mingsheng for long.

Although there was still some time for Ye Mingsheng to visit Pei Zhixiu's clinic after he left, but after knowing that Wang Muzhi was coming, how could Ye Mingsheng have the interest to do so?
Although He Jingyun did not specify the specific source of the news, Ye Mingsheng felt that this matter was most likely true!
The reason is that firstly, the development of the matter is logical and basically in line with Chen Dechang's style of doing things. Secondly, Ye Mingsheng couldn't figure out what kind of trap He Jingyun could dig for himself by deceiving himself with such a thing, and what benefits could he get?

However, Ye Mingsheng believed that the source of He Jingyun’s information might not be his close friend who served as a lieutenant general beside Chen Dechang...

Thinking of this, in order to prevent himself from remembering it wrongly, Ye Mingsheng took out a booklet from the drawer and started looking through it.

This booklet records the resumes of military officers above the seventh rank in the Zhenwu Army, as well as some of their life stories, which Huo San had collected for him.

After looking at it for a while to make sure that he was not wrong, Ye Mingsheng closed the booklet and carefully put this priceless booklet back to its original place.

There are currently five lieutenant generals in the Zhenwu Army, namely Nie Yingfan, Yang Ziping, Xu Hengfeng, Zeng Nan, and Cao Guang.

According to what He Jingyun said just now, his friend who is the lieutenant general in the Zhenwu Army has followed Chen Dechang for ten years. Among the five people, only Nie Yingfan meets this requirement. However, Yang Ziping among the five has also followed Chen Dechang for more than eight years, so rounding it off, it can also be counted as ten years.

Among the remaining three, Zeng Nan and Cao Guang are Wang Muzhi's men, and Xu Hengfeng is the son-in-law of the Gongsun family. Let alone being a close friend, he probably has never even met He Jingyun.

According to the records of Nie Yingfan and Yang Ziping in the booklet, Ye Mingsheng did not find any history of interaction between these two and He Jingyun!

Based on this conclusion, Ye Mingsheng boldly guessed that He Jingyun's so-called close friend should be just a cover for him, and his actual source of information should be someone else...
As for the real source of He Jingyun's information, Ye Mingsheng could guess it more or less correctly. What really made him curious was why He Jingyun told him this news, giving him the opportunity to prepare in advance?
For a moment, Ye Mingsheng really couldn't figure out what He Jingyun was thinking about writing!
Of course this is not important. Under his own restrictions, He Jingyun, the Chief of the General Staff, mainly has the job of training new recruits and providing troops for other combat units.

Other things like personnel groups and financial power have nothing to do with He Jingyun. Even if he still feels unwilling in his heart, he poses no threat to Ye Mingsheng. Ye Mingsheng can destroy him with just one word!

The most urgent task at the moment is definitely how to properly handle the matter of Wang Muzhi’s arrival!
There was no doubt that Wang Muzhi had come here to call for justice. Maybe Chen Dechang had prepared some means for him to use against him...

However, Ye Mingsheng felt that Wang Muzhi’s trip should not just be to call for punishment!
If that was the case, Chen Dechang would not have needed to send Wang Muzhi. Commander Gongsun Heng was a better choice. Compared to the upright Wang Muzhi, Gongsun Heng, who came from an aristocratic family, was more tactful and had a precise grasp of the scale of things!

Not only that, Song Wenhui is now gathering a large number of troops around Changqing Prefecture in the name of suppressing bandits. Although it is unlikely that Song Wenhui will suddenly explode in the snow, the war atmosphere between the two sides is still very tense.

In addition, many of the grassroots military officers of the Zhenwu Army are Wang Muzhi’s former subordinates in the Shenwu Army. The entire Zhenwu Army only listens to Wang Muzhi.

Although Chen Dechang is the commander, even if he wants to make any deployment, he has to discuss it with Wang Muzhi. Therefore, it can be said that Changqing Prefecture is now inseparable from Wang Muzhi!

In such a situation, Chen Dechang also sent Wang Muzhi over. Ye Mingsheng felt that he had to prepare for the worst.

No matter what tricks Chen Dechang and Wang Muzhi use, I will let them do whatever they want and I will remain unmoved!

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Guangning Prefecture, in the Cui family compound.

Cui Shao and An Miaoyi were fighting fiercely around the chessboard. Cui Shao, who was holding the black pieces, had the upper hand firmly on the board. His offensive was like a tide, with wave after wave attacking the white pieces which were on the defensive.

Although Cui Shao's attack was fierce, the defense of the white chess pieces in An Miaoyi's hand was as solid as a rock. Although he fell into a disadvantage, he always maintained the hope of a comeback in the resistance. Cui Shao did not dare to be careless and had to remain vigilant in every step.

"Uncle, Ye Mingsheng has 20,000 men under his command, right?" Looking at the chessboard, An Miaoyi placed a white chess piece, and suddenly said seemingly unintentionally:
Facing An Miaoyi's sudden question, Cui Shao calmly placed a black chess piece and said:

"Counting the militias and militias under his command, that should be about it. This kid really doesn't care about anything. The tax-free immigration and land distribution trick provides him with a steady supply of soldiers. As long as he can afford it, 50,000 or 100,000 soldiers will be raised quickly."

"Your uncle doesn't care about him. If he wants to make a name for himself, he must find another way out!" An Miaoyi said softly:

Cui Shao smiled and shook his head when he heard this:
"Girls are really outgoing. She hasn't even gotten married yet, but she's already speaking for him..."

Although An Miaoyi was not an ordinary woman, she was still a girl waiting to be married. When she heard Cui Shao's teasing, a blush of shyness appeared on her pretty face. She said to Cui Shao with some embarrassment:

"Uncle!"

Cui Shao smiled and said helplessly:

“In terms of relationship, Ye Mingsheng is my nephew. If he were an ordinary person, it wouldn’t be difficult for me to take care of him…”

"But he is the general of the Zhenwu Army! The commander-in-chief of Fengzhou, Marshal Ye who controls a region!"

"That won't do, Miaoyi. You shouldn't meddle in other people's business!" "In my position, under the current situation, I'd rather do less than more. I have to be extremely cautious with every step I take!"

Hearing what Cui Shao said, An Miaoyi's expression also became serious. After placing a white chess piece to block Cui Shao's attack, she said softly:

"Uncle, do you think highly of Song Wenhui? You are still on his ship and don't even leave yourself a way out..."

Cui Shao shook his head upon hearing this and said calmly:

"Miao Yi, you are wrong. Seriously, I don't care whether Song Wenhui wins or Chen Dechang wins, or whether it's that kid Ye Mingsheng who gets lucky and fights his way out and becomes a rising star!"

As An Miaoyi savored Cui Shao's words, her beautiful eyes flickered a few times, as if she had realized something.

Indeed, with the size and strength of the Cui family, they can wait until the final winner comes out before taking sides. No matter who is the final winner, if they want to stabilize the entire Liaoyang, they must need the help of the Cui family. Therefore, there is no need for the Cui family to be impatient to place a bet now and take the risk of losing the bet...
However, although she felt that Cui Shao's strategy was very clever, An Miaoyi also had a question in her mind. After placing another chess piece, she looked at Cui Shao with some hesitation.

Although An Miaoyi did not speak, Cui Shao had already thought of what she wanted to ask and said with a smile:

"Not taking sides will indeed be seen as a thorn in the eye, but since I, your uncle, dare to wait for the price, I naturally have the confidence to laugh last. Someone may win, but the Cui family will never lose!"

Feeling the strong confidence revealed in Cui Shao's words, An Miaoyi's heart was shocked, and her assessment of the Cui family's strength went up to a higher level...
As time went by, the game between Cui Shao and An Miaoyi reached its most critical moment. Although An Miaoyi's white chess pieces took risky moves several times in an attempt to change his fate, Cui Shao's black chess pieces had already won the upper hand. After using up all her skills, An Miaoyi could only give up with a wry smile and accept the failure of the game.

Although he defeated An Miaoyi, Cui Shao's expression remained calm, and he could not tell whether he was happy or sad. He wiped his hands with a white cloth, drank a cup of tea, and asked An Miaoyi:
"With the current situation in the court, what plans does your father have?"

When An Miaoyi heard Cui Shao asking about her father, a trace of sadness appeared on her pretty face. She shook her head and said:

"The imperial physician said that my father is terminally ill, and he is just holding on for dear life. He said that when he was young, he witnessed the Great Zhou Dynasty's most glorious time, conquering the Xiongnu and sweeping away the enemies. When he is about to die, he wants to witness the Great Zhou Dynasty's disintegration in Luoan..."

As soon as she finished speaking, two lines of tears fell from An Miaoyi's beautiful eyes. She restrained her emotions a little and said in a depressed tone:

"In addition to making arrangements for our family, he has handed over all the power of the family to my third uncle!"

Cui Shao was silent for a while after hearing this, and then he said quietly:

“Brother Hetu, do you trust An Zhirong so much? If that man gets caught this time, An Zhirong will surely die. Your An family…”

"There's nothing we can do about it. Although I don't like my Third Uncle, if it weren't for him being so good at dealing with people, our An family would have been ruined long ago. How could we be where we are today?"

"What's more, my father has been seriously ill for so many years, and many people in the family have already recognized him as the head of the family. Even if my father doesn't give it to me, it won't make much difference!" An Miaoyi said bitterly:
The Kunshan Hou An family and the Liaoyang Cui family, although the two families have a good relationship because their heads An Hetu and Cui Shao are brothers-in-law and they both studied in Luoan, but in fact, no matter how good the relationship is, it is not necessary for An Miaoyi to represent the An family to pay birthday greetings to the Cui family's ancestor...

After all, the current customs and folkways of the Great Zhou Dynasty tend to be conservative. No matter whether it is the upper-class aristocratic families or the lower-class people, they all believe that women should follow the three obediences and four virtues, abide by the code of conduct for women, and should not show their faces in public casually. Especially for a young lady like An Miaoyi who is not yet married, she should not go out of the house and wait for her future husband!
It is absolutely unacceptable for a person to travel thousands of miles, across mountains and rivers, to Liaoyang to celebrate the birthday of a relative on behalf of the family, without the company of a male relative, and with servants and followers!

Well, since they knew clearly that An Miaoyi's trip was against the ethics, customs and folkways of the world, once the matter was widely publicized, it would be a major blow to An Miaoyi, who already had a bad reputation because of being the reincarnation of Bao Si and bringing disaster to the country and the people, then why did the An family still allow An Miaoyi to go on this trip?
Actually the answer is very simple!
An Miaoyi came on behalf of the An family to celebrate the birthday of Cui family's ancestor, but this was actually just a cover!
The real purpose of her trip was to seek refuge with the Cui family!
This is also the reason why An Miaoyi, who came to pay her respects to the Cui family’s ancestor’s birthday, stayed in the Cui family and did not leave even after such a long time!
An Miaoyi's father, Kunshan Hou Anhetu, was seriously injured while fighting for the country and was in poor health, but the physical pain did not affect his political acumen, and his judgment and observation of the situation!
An Hetu realized that the fragile balance in the court would be broken, the Great Zhou was about to usher in great changes, rituals and music would collapse, and the situation would fall into chaos!

In such a big situation, although the An family is a prominent family, it is difficult for them to remain immune. In this chaotic world, without the constraints of rules and order, the beauty of women is a disaster!

It may even be the source of the family’s decline...
But his daughter was the "reincarnation of Bao Si" who was famous for her beauty and charm!

This made An Hetu very distressed. As a father, he certainly hoped that his daughter could be happy and live a stable life.
However, as the head of the family, An Hetu is also very clear that once troubled times come, the countless men who covet An Miaoyi's beauty will no longer be able to suppress their desires and will inevitably fight over An Miaoyi like a plaything.

Although the An family is not insignificant in terms of strength among the aristocratic families, in troubled times, soldiers and horses are king. The An family, which started out with military honors, has become very weak in the military. Therefore, under the pressure of the enemy's swords and guns, the only thing the An family can do to survive is to hand over An Miaoyi.

And those people's fight for An Miaoyi will most likely implicate the An family and put them in danger!
In order to protect his family and his daughter, An Hetu finally made a decision after much thought. He asked his daughter to go to the Cui family in a low-key manner in the name of celebrating a birthday, and to join his good brother and brother-in-law Cui Shao, and stay away from the world of fame and fortune in Luoan.

An Hetu did this because he took into consideration that after leaving Luoan, the world of fame and fortune, the attention on An Miaoyi would be relatively reduced, which would make it safer.

Secondly, compared with Luoan, the power center, Liaoyang, located in the border area, has much less troubles. And the Cui family, as the head of the three clans in Liaoyang, is strong enough to protect An Miaoyi in Liaoyang.

Even if the worst happens, the Cui family can still fake An Miaoyi's death without anyone knowing, let An Miaoyi change her name and become an ordinary citizen with wealth and safety.

(End of this chapter)