Chapter 310: Confrontation! (19430 chapters! Thanks to book friend for the reward!)
"I have also thought of a name for your department. It will be called the Fengzhou Military Statistics and Investigation Department. Huo San, you will be the director! You will be directly responsible to me, and your rank will be set at the eighth rank!"

As he spoke, Ye Mingsheng smiled and took out a letter of appointment signed by himself and stamped with his seal of the General of Fengzhou from the drawer and handed it to Huo San. At the same time, Ye Dong, who heard the news in the room, also held up a military officer's uniform of the eighth rank and handed it to Huo San and said in a deep voice:
"Congratulations, Director Huo!"

Huo San took the letter of appointment from Ye Mingsheng with both hands. After receiving the official document, he could no longer hide the joy in his heart. Although he did not know what kind of organization the Fengzhou Military Statistics and Investigation Office was, the title of an eighth-rank military officer was enough to make him ecstatic.

Since following Ye Mingsheng, Huo San has earned a lot of money. Not only does he live in a courtyard with two entrances, he also has several young wives. His life is very comfortable, much better than before when he was with Huo Xiaoli.

After his material needs were met to a certain extent, Huo San began to seek spiritual comfort, and the first thing he wanted to do was to improve his social status...

Although all the civil and military officials in Fengzhou knew that Huo San was Ye Mingsheng's loyal dog and worked for Ye Mingsheng, they were superficially very nice to him for Ye Mingsheng's sake.

But deep down in their hearts, they still regarded Huo San as a gangster, and Huo San himself was well aware of this.

So he wanted to change all this. He didn't want to live in the darkness forever. He wanted to stand under the sun and let the fruits of his hard work bring honor to his wife and children and be passed on to future generations.

In a society like the Great Zhou where officials are the most important, there is only one way to satisfy Huo San's demands, and that is to transform himself into an official!
So after thinking it over, Huo San mustered up the courage to ask Ye Mingsheng to grant him an official position!

Although Huo San's request was a very easy thing for Ye Mingsheng, who had now become a small vassal state, he could completely satisfy Huo San as long as he was willing.

However, Ye Mingsheng, who was becoming more and more familiar with the art of controlling his subordinates, knew very well that things that were easily obtained were often not cherished. Since Huo San was so eager, he could whet his appetite moderately and then give it to him.

This will make Huo San cherish his official position and not dare to do anything excessive easily. It will also help to strengthen his loyalty to Ye Mingsheng.

So when Huo San first brought it up, Ye Mingsheng found a few excuses to get around it, but in the end Ye Mingsheng left Huo San with a glimmer of hope...

Seeing hope, Huo San worked even harder for Ye Mingsheng and did several things assigned by Ye Mingsheng very well. Therefore, seeing that things were almost done, Ye Mingsheng decided to fulfill his wish this time.

Huo San, filled with joy, changed into the uniform of a military officer, and excitedly knelt down in front of Ye Mingsheng. He kowtowed several times in a row and preached very sincerely:

"I will never forget your kindness, sir. I, Huo San, will go through fire and water for you in this life, without hesitation!"

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Just as Ye Mingsheng was silently preparing, a team of cavalry was marching quickly on the country road from Fengzhou to Changqing Prefecture.

This cavalry team consisted of about a hundred people, flying the flag of the Zhenwu Army and a general flag with the word "Wang" on it. They were well-trained and well-equipped, and could be said to be armed to the teeth. It was obvious at first glance that they were not ordinary soldiers.

They were moving very fast, and they covered about thirty miles in one morning. By noon, the sun was shining brightly, and everyone was tired, so they stopped by a stream to rest for a while.
"Sir, this old thief Chen asked you to go to Fengzhou to deal with Ye Mingsheng. He definitely has bad intentions. Why did you take this difficult task?"

After eating a few mouthfuls of dry food, Cao Guang, the lieutenant general of the Zhenwu Army, could no longer suppress his anger, and asked Wang Muzhi, who was drinking water,
After receiving the mission from Chen Dechang, Wang Muzhi realized that the matter was of great importance, so he handed over the work at hand and led more than a hundred of his trusted soldiers to Fengzhou, wanting to meet Ye Mingsheng to see if he, a strong dragon, could suppress Ye Mingsheng, a local snake...

After hearing what Cao Guang said, Wang Muzhi didn't care much and just shook his head slightly.

Seeing that Wang Muzhi didn't speak, Cao Guang continued:

"Sir, this Ye was unknown in the Imperial Guards and Zhaowu Camp, and no one knew he had any great abilities. But in the past two years, he has become very popular. First, he killed Liu Jing in the palace, and now he has become a ruthless man in Liaoyang who kills people without blinking an eye!"

"We have killed countless bandits and Khitan dogs, and there are only about a hundred of us..." At this point Cao Guang seemed to be hesitant to speak, but did not continue.

Wang Muzhi seemed to know what kind of person Cao Guang was. He did not get angry. He just glanced at Cao Guang and said calmly:
"If you have something to say, just continue saying it. Don't hold your fart back halfway!"

Cao Guang hesitated for a moment after hearing this, but still said in a low voice: "Sir, don't blame me for speaking harshly. I am just speaking the truth. Ye Mingsheng is really a ruthless man. With the limited manpower we have now, we can't make any waves in Fengzhou!"

"I used to think that this Ye was a member of the old thief Chen's group, but this time the old thief Chen asked him to come to Changqing Mansion for a meeting, but Ye Mingsheng ignored him. The old thief Chen shot himself in the foot. Why should you clean up his mess, sir?"

After Cao Guang finished speaking, he looked at Wang Muzhi. Under his gaze, Wang Muzhi shook his head and said lightly: "I am the emperor's salary, so I should be loyal to him. Now that we are facing a powerful enemy, what does this personal gain and loss matter?"

"As long as Ye Mingsheng is still an official of the Great Zhou and an official of the Zhenwu Army, I will be able to control him!"

Although Wang Muzhi's words were firm and confident, Cao Guang was slightly disappointed when he heard them...
Although Wang Muzhi was the assistant commander of the Zhenwu Army, a third-rank military officer, three levels higher than Ye Mingsheng, a fifth-rank general, Huwei, and the commander-in-chief of Fengzhou, he was also Ye Mingsheng's superior. However, as Wang Muzhi's confidant, Cao Guang knew that Wang Muzhi did not have many cards in his hand to deal with Ye Mingsheng. What's more, this time they were in Fengzhou, Ye Mingsheng's home court, so it was hard to say what would happen next!
Thinking of this, Cao Guang sighed inwardly, hoping that Wang Muzhi had some backup plan that he didn't know about, otherwise it would be really difficult.

After experiencing this little episode, Wang Mu and his party traveled for about another day and entered the territory of Fengzhou.

Looking at the endless wilderness on Xiangshui Plain, Wang Muzhi's face became very grim. He was responsible for guarding against the main military force of Changqing Prefecture.
As a missionary, he had a heavy burden on his shoulders and many things to deal with, so he had no time to distract himself from other things. Until Chen Dechang found him a few days ago, he knew what kind of evil was hidden on this road called Xiangshuiyuan...

The appearance of more than one hundred elite cavalrymen under Wang Muzhi were soon discovered by the cavalry scouts of the Fengzhou Army stationed in Xiangshuiyuan. An incense stick later, thousands of cavalrymen surrounded Wang Muzhi and others.

Although Wang Muzhi himself remained calm and composed, Cao Guang and the more than one hundred personal soldiers beside him immediately became nervous, fearing that something unexpected would happen.

Although Guo Zhiping, who led the troops, had never seen Wang Muzhi in person, when he saw the Zhenwu Army flags and the general flag with the word "Wang" held by the group of people in front of him, he immediately realized who this extraordinary and majestic general was, who was guarded by these elite cavalrymen in the center...

But this also made Guo Zhiping very confused. If he guessed correctly, when a high-ranking official like this came, the higher-ups should have given him a heads-up and asked him to prepare!

But he didn't get any news at all!

Although he had a rough idea that the man in front of him was the rumored deputy commander of the Zhenwu Army, Wang Muzhi, Guo Zhiping had never seen Wang Muzhi in person. He was shocked but could not be completely sure. In order to avoid misunderstanding, he immediately rode forward and asked loudly:
"Who is coming?"

Glancing at the middle-aged general in seventh-rank commander's uniform, Wang Muzhi said calmly:

"Wang Muzhi!"

Although he was mentally prepared, Guo Zhiping still felt a shock when he heard the name.

But he quickly calmed down his emotions, bowed to Wang Muzhi and said:

"I, Guo Zhiping, greet Lord Wang. I am wearing armor, so please forgive me for not being able to show you the full courtesy!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Muzhi looked at Guo Zhiping and said calmly:

"It doesn't matter!"

"I wonder what important matter has brought you here? Can I be of any help?" Guo Zhiping, who was not sure of Wang Muzhi's intention, continued to ask:
Now that it was confirmed that the person in front of him was Wang Muzhi, Guo Zhiping was very puzzled about what Wang Muzhi wanted to do in Xiangshuiyuan... You must know that Tahe County where Xiangshuiyuan is located is not adjacent to Changqing Prefecture!
Shiquan County borders Changqing Prefecture, and if you want to get to Xiangshuiyuan from Changqing Prefecture, you have to travel hundreds of miles. Even if Wang Muzhi came to Fengzhou, he should have arrived in Shiquan County first. If he arrived in Shiquan County first, then news would definitely come out!

But now that we haven't received any news, and then we saw Wang Muzhi in Xiangshuiyuan, it can only mean one thing, that is, Wang Muzhi went straight to Xiangshuiyuan.

Wang Muzhi would definitely not run hundreds of miles in vain just to take a stroll on Xiangshui Plain...

Realizing this, Guo Zhiping immediately became alert when he thought about the special significance of Xiangshuiyuan to Fengzhou.

At this moment, Wang Muzhi, who heard Guo Zhiping's question, became serious and said in a deep voice:

"I am here to inspect Fengzhou's military affairs on the orders of Commander Chen. Why don't you lead the way?"

When Wang Muzhi said this, Guo Zhiping's face suddenly changed slightly. It turned out that Wang Mu had no good intentions when he came to Xiangshuiyuan before.

In his opinion, since his superiors had not informed him in advance that Wang Muzhi was coming, it meant that his boss Ye Mingsheng was most likely unaware of this. This also meant that Wang Muzhi was coming to launch a surprise attack.

Although Guo Zhiping was born a bandit and had only been involved in officialdom for a short time, he did not know much about the twists and turns of officialdom, but he also understood one thing, that is, if the higher-ups send people to investigate you and do not give you a heads-up in advance, then it is very likely that they want to get you.

Of course, it is impossible that Wang Muzhi came here specifically to target Guo Zhiping. After all, the gap in status between the two of them is too big. It is impossible for Wang Muzhi to lower himself like this to specifically target a small commander like him.

So there is only one answer, that is, Wang Muzhi wants to take advantage of the situation to deal with his boss Ye Mingsheng!

Knowing this, Guo Zhiping knew what to do next. While leading Wang Muzhi and others towards the military camp, he quietly gave orders to his men...

An hour later, Guo Zhiping slowly brought Wang Muzhi and others to his military camp in the center of Xiangshuiyuan.

Looking at the slightly empty military camp in front of him, Wang Muzhi glanced around and asked:
"Commander Guo, where are the rest of your soldiers?"

"My Lord, all my men are here!" Guo Zhiping said with a smile:
Hearing Guo Zhiping's answer, Wang Muzhi frowned slightly. Seeing this, Cao Guang beside him immediately stood up and looked at Guo Zhiping and shouted:

"Commander Guo, do you take us for fools?"

"This barracks can accommodate at least 4,000 people, but you only have over 1,000 people now. How come your soldiers' butts are so big that they need to sleep four people in one place?"

Seeing Cao Guang's rude words, Guo Zhiping was a little angry. Although he didn't know who Cao Guang was, he didn't get angry when he saw Cao Guang's sixth-rank clothing. He just said calmly:

"You may not know, sir, that our Lord Ye originally planned to station 4,000 troops here, so the scale of the camp here was built to accommodate 4,000 people.
"But who knew that the higher-ups withheld more than half of our money and grain from Fengzhou? Without money and grain, how could we have soldiers? Our Lord Ye couldn't recruit any more people, so there are only more than a thousand of us in this military camp!"

"Sir, if you think this military camp is empty, how about asking the higher-ups to transfer some money and food to us?"

"With the money and food, the brothers are grateful to you, sir. I promise not to make this military camp too busy. What do you think?"

Hearing Guo Zhiping asking him for money and grain, Cao Guang, who was still arrogant and bullying just a second ago, immediately wilted and couldn't say a word. He also knew that Chen Dechang had been withholding money and grain from Fengzhou, so they were indeed in the wrong in this regard...

Seeing Cao Guang defeated, Wang Muzhi said nothing, but just walked towards the military camp, which barely relieved Cao Guang's embarrassment.

After bringing Wang Muzhi and others to the central military tent in the military camp, Guo Zhiping bowed to Wang Muzhi and said:

"Sir Wang, this is the best tent in our military camp. The environment in Xiangshuiyuan is not as harsh as that in Changqing Prefecture. Please forgive me, sir!"

Glancing at the furnishings in the tent, Wang Muzhi said meaningfully:
"Commander Guo, you are worrying too much. I, Wang Muzhi, have been on the march and fighting in all kinds of environments for so many years. Your place is already pretty good!"

"My lord, I'm glad you're satisfied! There is one thing I need to tell you in advance. This Xiangshuiyuan is close to the Posuo Mansion, the lair of the bandit leader Zhen Sanshan. The thieves are extremely rampant and there are often bandits who want to attack the camp. Therefore, the brothers in the barracks are all very scared and dare not take off their clothes when they sleep."

"Sir, these brothers under your command are unfamiliar to me. If any misunderstanding occurs when we are walking in the military camp, I will be punished with death..." Guo Zhiping spread his hands, his face full of helplessness and embarrassment.

Although Guo Zhiping spoke very cryptically, Wang Mu and his companions could hear the hidden meaning behind Guo Zhiping's words. They all glared at Guo Zhiping. If looks could kill, Guo Zhiping would have been cut into pieces by now.

Seeing their leader being treated like this, the brothers around Guo Zhiping were not willing to be outdone. They all glared back. The atmosphere in the tent suddenly became a little tense.

Looking at Guo Zhiping's embarrassed expression, Wang Muzhi did not feel much anger in his heart. On the contrary, he felt a little emotional.

If it was in Luoan a year ago, and Guo Zhiping dared to say such words in front of him, he would definitely chop off Guo Zhiping's head and use the blood of this insubordinate guy to let all the soldiers in the barracks know what hierarchy is and what military discipline and law are!
But now it’s different...
When he first arrived, Wang Muzhi was full of ambition and wanted to make great achievements in the vast world of Liaoyang and eliminate Song Wenhui, who was out of touch with the times, for the Prime Minister.

However, he soon realized how complicated and dangerous the situation in Liaoyang was. Under these difficulties, he, who was originally very aggressive, grew up a lot and learned to restrain himself and endure.

After taking a deep look at Guo Zhiping, Wang Muzhi said indifferently without any emotion:
"I see!"

Looking at the extremely calm Wang Muzhi, Guo Zhiping, who had been prepared for his rage, was really at a loss. He could only bow to Wang Muzhi and say:

"In that case, I will not disturb your rest! If you need anything, please let me know and I will come right away."

"Okay!" Wang Muzhi nodded calmly.

Upon hearing this, Guo Zhiping immediately turned around and left the tent.

As Guo Zhiping left, Cao Guang said angrily beside Wang Muzhi:

"Sir, this Guo guy is going too far! Ye Mingsheng really has a good barking dog!"

"Look at this group of people, is that the Zhenwu Army? This is clearly his private army!"

"This old thief Chen Dechang is really raising a tiger to cause trouble!"

Wang Muzhi, who had calmed down a lot, did not express his opinion on Cao Guang's words, but said:
"Now is not the time to get angry, brothers, please restrain yourself!"

(I had originally thought about the subsequent plot development and the back-up plan prepared by the protagonist, but it was guessed by the book friend "汤洒了". To be honest, I felt a little frustrated that it was guessed, so I thought about it for a long time and decided to make some changes. This is also the reason why I got stuck yesterday, because I have to reconnect the plot. The next plot may be brain-burning, but I will try my best to find the best balance between refreshing and logic!)
Ps: The average subscription is almost reaching 500. I want to set up a book club. Are you interested?
(End of this chapter)