Chapter 309 I wish I was a man! (Thanks to the book friend Xishurukuangzhimo for the reward!)
"Miaoyi, do you know that Ye Mingsheng has a cavalry of nearly 3,000 people?" Cui Shao looked at An Miaoyi and said calmly:

An Miaoyi hesitated for a moment, but still nodded and said:
"I have heard that Ye Mingsheng asked a bandit to lead his cavalry. This troop is currently stationed in Xiangshuiyuan to protect the caravan of Dalongchang."

After An Miaoyi finished speaking, Cui Shao said with some emotion: "Song Wenhui, with the financial resources of the entire Liaoyang, has only more than 10,000 cavalrymen under his command. Ye Mingsheng, with only one state, has accumulated 3,000 cavalrymen. It is really extraordinary..."

Listening to Cui Shao's praise of Ye Mingsheng, An Miaoyi frowned slightly. With her quick wit, she could tell that Cui Shao's words had a hidden meaning and he was not really praising Ye Mingsheng.

An Miaoyi was right. As expected, Cui Shao's next words were to An Miaoyi:
"Miaoyi, do you know where these cavalrymen under Ye Mingsheng come from?"

Cui Shao's words touched upon An Miaoyi's blind spot in intelligence. She did not pretend to know the answer but shook her head obediently under Cui Shao's gaze.

Seeing this, Cui Shao did not keep the secret and said directly:

"Khitan!"

"Ye Mingsheng is making deals with the Khitans. Not only did he send the Khitan prisoners back for the sake of war horses, he also wanted to sell the weapons in his hands to the Khitans!"

Hearing Cui Shao's words, An Miaoyi couldn't help but be shocked, her red lips slightly opened. Although she already knew about Ye Mingsheng's previous actions and knew that Ye Mingsheng was bold and wild, she didn't expect that her future husband would dare to do such a thing...
Not to mention that once this matter is exposed, not only will Ye Mingsheng himself be torn into pieces by five horses, but his entire clan will also be exterminated!

The Khitans are Fengzhou's number one enemy. Is Ye Mingsheng crazy about selling his weapons to his enemies?
Although she knew that Cui Shao was a steady person and would never bring up unproven facts, let alone joke about such things with her, An Miaoyi still found it hard to believe that Ye Mingsheng would do such a thing.

Just when An Miaoyi was extremely confused, Cui Shao continued:

"If you don't want God to know, then you must not do it yourself. Chen Dechang has already known what Ye Mingsheng did. Chen Dechang was very angry and arranged a Hongmen Banquet for Ye Mingsheng in Changqing Mansion..."

"However, Ye Mingsheng was quite clever. He sensed the rumors in advance and used illness as an excuse to not go. Otherwise, he would have been killed by the swordsmen and his head and body would have been separated!"

As Cui Shao spoke more and more truthfully, An Miaoyi couldn't help but worry about Ye Mingsheng's situation, and immediately asked Cui Shao:
"Uncle, Ye Mingsheng has been in Liaoyang for less than half a year, and he has already developed to this point. It is not impossible for him to become the final winner in the future. Even if you cannot help him openly, you can still lend a helping hand secretly."

"If you help him now, it would be like sending timely help. If Ye Mingsheng has any conscience, he will definitely be grateful to you and think about repaying you in the future!"

Cui Shao smiled when he heard this, waved his hand and said:

"Miao Yi, you are too concerned. Although Ye Mingsheng's situation is not very good, it is not as bad as you think. As long as he doesn't deliver himself to the door, then at least for now, no one, whether it is Chen Dechang or Song Wenhui, can do anything to him!"

"Don't forget, he now has 20,000 troops under his command. This guy is quite capable. He manages these 20,000 troops so well that no one can get in. Most of them are loyal to him and only listen to his orders. His control over the army is so strong, which is very rare and precious."

“As far as I know, both Chen Dechang and Song Wenhui wanted to win over the brave generals under his command, but without exception, they were all rejected. They spent so much effort and only bribed a few small officials…”

“Although Chen Dechang is very angry about Ye Mingsheng’s little tricks, he is under a lot of pressure from Song Wenhui, so he has no good way to deal with Ye Mingsheng now. Originally, the Zhenwu Army was at a disadvantage against Song Wenhui in all aspects. If he doesn’t have the support of Ye Mingsheng’s 20,000 men, he will have no hope at all…”

"According to my calculations, Chen Dechang is just trying to warn Ye Mingsheng. He doesn't dare to really break up with Ye Mingsheng at this critical moment. Chen Dechang is also afraid that if he takes Ye Mingsheng down, Ye Mingsheng will fall into Song Wenhui's arms!"

"At most, he can control Ye Mingsheng's money and food, making Ye Mingsheng's logistics tight! But as long as there is a trade route in Xiangshuiyuan, An Zhirong has to help Ye Mingsheng. Although Ye Mingsheng's life will not be easy, it won't be a big problem for him to get through it by tightening his belt."

Cui Shao's words contained a lot of information. An Miaoyi took a long time to digest them before realizing the subtext of Cui Shao's words. She immediately asked:

"Uncle, don't you think the imperial court will send reinforcements?"

"In my opinion, that won't happen. Shangguan Hongyuan may be strong, but he has made too many enemies. The royal family, nobles, and aristocratic families, many people want him dead. Everyone knows that the decisive battle is coming soon, and they are all stepping up preparations. Now it depends on who moves faster!"

"Even if Shangguan Hongyuan can win this time, I think he will have to deal with the King of Qin from Yongliang and Zhao Fuqu from Youyan first. This is why Song Wenhui dares to take action now!" Cui Shao said in a deep voice.

After hearing Cui Shao's incisive analysis, An Miaoyi felt very complicated. The reason why she chose to marry Ye Mingsheng was not because she fell in love with Ye Mingsheng at first sight during the days when she was secretly observing him. Growing up in a prominent family, she was already accustomed to the love between men and women and was not so obsessed with him.

Even though her father had arranged a way out for her, that was not what An Miaoyi wanted. The pride in her bones would not allow her to live under someone else's roof forever.

Carrying the infamy of "Bao Si's reincarnation, bringing disaster to the country and the people" for so many years did not defeat An Miaoyi, nor did it make her become a resentful woman, crying and complaining all day long...

On the contrary, this tempered An Miaoyi's character and made her more resilient. She had always had a dream buried deep in her heart, that is, one day, she would be high and mighty, and make those gossipy women who bullied and mocked her behind her back in the past tremble in fear.

In this male-dominated world, An Miaoyi’s wish cannot be fulfilled by herself. She needs to rely on a man, a strong man, preferably a man who can dominate the world and strive for supremacy...

Isn’t there a saying like that?
Men conquer the world, and women gain the world by conquering men?
Although I wish I could be a man, full of vigor and energy, and be able to take on all challenges!
But An Miaoyi is still very confident in herself. She knows very well how tempting she is to men. As long as she is willing, there are few men in the world who will not fall at her feet.

In order to fulfill her wish, An Miaoyi had been secretly looking for someone worthy of entrusting, but unfortunately, it was not known whether An Miaoyi's requirements were too high or there was really no potential. In short, before Ye Mingsheng appeared, An Miaoyi had never found a candidate that satisfied her. The appearance of Ye Mingsheng made An Miaoyi's eyes light up. Although this man was born in a humble family and had a plain appearance, he was like a drop in the ocean among so many young men in Luoan. Even as a military officer, he was not good at martial arts and was not good at fighting. He was really a slacker.

But the more An Miaoyi observed Ye Mingsheng, the more she felt that Ye Mingsheng was extraordinary. Ye Mingsheng was deep-minded, flexible, not fussy about trivial matters, thick-faced, black-hearted, and ruthless.

As for the rumored eagle-eyed and wolf-like appearance, it became the last straw that broke the camel's back, making An Miaoyi make the final decision.

Now, all preparations for her wedding to Ye Mingsheng are proceeding in an orderly manner. After the beginning of next spring, she will be able to officially get married into the Ye family and become Ye Mingsheng's legal wife.

Therefore, in such a situation where everyone prospers together and everyone suffers together, An Miaoyi naturally empathizes with Ye Mingsheng's situation and hopes that Ye Mingsheng will develop better and better...
Seeing the change in An Miaoyi's expression, Cui Shao took a sip of tea and said calmly:

"In my opinion, Chen Dechang will definitely seek to transfer troops from Ye Mingsheng to Changqing Prefecture. This will be a test for Ye Mingsheng. As long as Ye Mingsheng is not crazy, he will definitely not let Chen Dechang transfer troops from him. But the key to the problem is not this."

"The Zhenwu Army needs Ye Mingsheng, and he also needs the Zhenwu Army's banner. If he refuses Chen Dechang, it will be equivalent to completely breaking off relations with Chen Dechang, which is very dangerous for Ye Mingsheng, as it means he won't even have nominal reinforcements!"

"Once Song Wenhui realizes that the relationship between Ye Mingsheng and Chen Dechang has broken down, he will most likely attack Fengzhou first. Anyway, for him, both Fengzhou and Changqing Prefecture are targets that need to be annihilated."

"In this case, why not pick the weak ones first? By taking advantage of Ye Mingsheng's achievements in Fengzhou, we will be more confident in dealing with the Zhenwu Army in Changqing Prefecture!"

“So what Ye Mingsheng needs to do next is to reject Chen Dechang’s request to send troops, but he cannot fall out with Chen Dechang. He has to maintain the fragile balance between him and Chen Dechang. This will test his ability…”

Hearing Cui Shao actually making an exception and telling her so much, An Miaoyi was surprised, but also realized the danger of Ye Mingsheng's situation. She pondered for a moment, unable to think of any good countermeasures, and immediately looked at Cui Shao with hope.

"Uncle, you must know what to do!"

Cui Shao smiled and said, "You should believe in his political wisdom. The way he dealt with Wang Laogun was truly amazing!"

"Timing is the most important thing for Ye Mingsheng now! Choosing a good time to end the battle is better than tens of thousands of soldiers!"

Feeling the deep meaning in Cui Shao's words, a gleam of light appeared in An Miaoyi's beautiful eyes. She finally understood that Cui Shao was very willing to tell her so much, and these words were not meant for her...
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Fengzhou, the general's headquarters.

Huo San, dressed in a black robe, walked into Ye Mingsheng's study in a very low-key manner and reported to Ye Mingsheng respectfully:

"Sir, I just received news that Wang Muzhi has set off from Changqing Prefecture with more than a hundred people. It is expected that they will arrive in Fengzhou in about two days..."

Upon hearing this, Ye Mingsheng narrowed his eyes and a sneer appeared on his face.

It is really the case that those who come with bad intentions will not be welcomed by those with good intentions!

Ever since He Jingyun told him the news that Wang Muzhi was coming, Ye Mingsheng immediately arranged for Huo San to carry out follow-up work based on this news. Soon Huo San's work bore fruit, confirming that the news that Wang Muzhi was coming to Fengzhou was true.

Ye Mingsheng, who received the news, began to make his own arrangements while waiting for news from Chen Dechang.

If Chen Dechang informed Ye Mingsheng in advance that Wang Muzhi was coming to inspect, this would be one situation!
But if Chen Dechang didn't say anything and let Wang Muzhi launch a surprise attack, then this would be a different situation!
The two cannot be confused, Ye Mingsheng needs to treat them differently, so Ye Mingsheng has been waiting for news to see which one Chen Dechang will choose. Now it seems that Chen Dechang chose the latter.

"What did Liang Xuezhang do?" Ye Mingsheng hesitated for a moment and asked:
"There is nothing abnormal about him. He goes back and forth between the military camp and home every day. His life is very regular and there is nothing abnormal about him." Huo San replied:

Hearing this answer, Ye Mingsheng seemed a little disappointed, but he didn't care too much and continued to ask:

"How are the manpower preparations going?"

"Everyone, get in position. When the master gives the order, Liang Xuezhang and the other scum will be beheaded!" Huo San said in a deep voice:
"Very good!" Ye Mingsheng nodded slightly after hearing this:
Although this trick will most likely not be used, as a decision maker, Ye Mingsheng has to take into account various situations. He must remain optimistic about the development of things, but also be prepared for the worst possible scenario!

After thinking about it, Ye Mingsheng felt that he should make more careful preparations, and immediately said:

"Activate A-3. If target number two makes any unusual movement, kill him without mercy!"

Huo San was a little surprised when he heard Ye Mingsheng's order, but he nodded immediately out of instinct.

"Don't let your people follow Wang Muzhi. Since they want to come, I will wait for them. Huo San, you have worked hard these days!" Ye Mingsheng smiled and comforted:
"It is our honor to serve you, sir!" Huo San expressed his loyalty at the right time.

Ye Mingsheng heard this and looked at Huo San's respectful look. He thought that he should give this guy a taste of sweetness, so he immediately said:
"I agree with what you said last time. I will arrange it for you!"

(End of this chapter)