Chapter 315: Showdown Foreplay (Thanks to book friend Maxfan for the reward!)

After assigning some tasks to Cao Guang, Wang Muzhi asked Cao Guang to leave and prepare, while he himself went to the next room.

Looking at the man in black robe drinking tea leisurely in the room, Wang Muzhi asked in a deep voice:
"Weren't you very careful before? Why are you living here openly now? Aren't you afraid that Ye Mingsheng's people will find you?"

The man in black robe put down the teacup, smiled and said:
"We have been sleeping outdoors for several days. It is time to take a good rest and recharge our batteries! We should meet Ye Mingsheng tomorrow."

Hearing what the man in black robe said, Wang Muzhi frowned slightly and said in a deep voice:
"tomorrow?"

"Since Ye Mingsheng is now using illness as an excuse to not come to greet me, it's clear that he doesn't want to see me!"

"He wants to postpone this matter, and he doesn't want to see me on his territory, so how can I see him?"

The man in black robe heard this and said calmly:
"Since he won't come to see Lord Wang, we can go to his general's residence and block him at his home!"

The words of the man in black robe made Wang Muzhi's face darken. Generally speaking, in the officialdom of the Great Zhou Dynasty, subordinates would go to their superiors' homes to pay respects. It was rare to see a superior put aside his face and take the initiative to visit his subordinates' homes...

Although this move was somewhat humiliating, Wang Muzhi thought about it carefully and felt that this move by the man in black robe was indeed not a solution. He really didn't believe that since he had condescended to come to him, what excuse could Ye Mingsheng have to refuse?

Thinking of this, Wang Muzhi suppressed his inner humiliation and nodded to the man in black. Seeing that Wang Mu agreed to his method for the sake of the overall situation without caring about his personal honor and disgrace, the man in black looked at him with respect and admiration, and then said seriously:
"Lord Wang, I have to resort to this desperate measure because the situation is urgent. Song Wenhui has transferred another 15,000 troops to Linjiang County. We don't have much time. We must transfer troops from Ye Mingsheng as soon as possible!"

Upon hearing the news, Wang Muzhi immediately realized the seriousness of the matter and asked with some doubt:
"Where did Song Wenhui get so many soldiers and horses?"

"He initially had only 70,000 soldiers and horses, and later expanded them by 30,000, for a total of 100,000. Of these 100,000, 10,000 were guarding Dongning Prefecture and 10,000 were guarding Posuo Prefecture. The remaining 80,000 were all stationed in Changqing Prefecture. Where did he get these 15,000 people from?"

The black card man was not surprised by Wang Muzhi's question. He shook his head and said:
"Song Wenhui had secret negotiations with the Shiwei people, promised the Shiwei people the three counties of Jizhou, and borrowed 15,000 soldiers from them..."

Wang Muzhi, a general of the Great Zhou Dynasty, was furious when he heard that Song Wenhui had ceded land. He cursed angrily:
"How dare Song Wenhui, this bastard, do this? How can we give our ancestral land to others?"

"This thief deserves to be cut into pieces, his death is not a pity!"

In response to Wang Muzhi's indignation, the man in black robe analyzed calmly:

"He has already done so. Now the Liaoyang Army on the front line of Changqing Prefecture has reached 100,000 people. However, the daily expenditure of money and food for so many people is a huge number!"

"Given Song Wenhui's financial situation, he can't hold out for long. He will definitely take action in two months at most or one month at most! We can't wait any longer."

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The next day, at 1:00 am in the morning.

Ye Mingsheng, who had eaten breakfast with Ye Cui in the backyard, practiced boxing and exercised in his own backyard. Now he has two beautiful concubines, Jinyu and Pei Zhixiu, accompanying him every day, plus An Miaoyi, who he is about to marry, and Wang Bai, the wife he is about to eat...

Ye Mingsheng has become increasingly aware of the importance of the body, so even when he is busy, he will take out some time to exercise and improve his physical fitness to cope with the increasingly severe pressure on his waist.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

In the back garden, Ye Mingsheng was sweating profusely, his footsteps making loud noises on the floor tiles. He was now mainly practicing the Bajiquan taught to him by Huo Xiaoli, the basic opening method of the Vajra Eight Styles:

The eight styles are:

Support hammer - the bow breaks and the arrow flies quickly

Dragon-Falling-Heaven-Cone of the Five Mountains,

Crouching Tiger - Liuhe Pounce Brocade
Mountain Splitting Palm - Mountain Splitting Axe with Steel
Horseshoe Exploration - Mountaineering Horseshoe Exploration
Tiger hug - Encircle the tiger and hug it

Bear squat - bear squat hard squeeze
Crane Step Push - Crane Step Push the Mountain Steady
Because of the guidance of famous teachers and his serious practice every day, Ye Mingsheng has now mastered the eight moves very well. He can perform Bajiquan with a mighty, steady, and explosive style. At least on the surface, he has been able to do it well.

Just when Ye Mingsheng was practicing with great enthusiasm, sweating and feeling very comfortable with the movement of his muscles and bones, he suddenly saw Ye Dong running towards him in a hurry.

Seeing Ye Dong's appearance, Ye Mingsheng was a little unhappy that his interest was disturbed. He was busy with official duties every day and had very little time to exercise, so he really didn't want anyone to disturb him at this time.

Although he was somewhat unhappy, he also knew that Ye Dong was familiar with his temper. Since he came to disturb him at this time, something must have happened, otherwise Ye Dong would never do this. So Ye Mingsheng did not get angry. While continuing to punch, he said to Ye Dong who was walking towards him:
"Don't be anxious, speak slowly!"

Ye Dong bowed and reported: "Master, Wang Muzhi came to visit us! He is in the main hall now!"

Before he finished speaking, a faint sneer appeared on Ye Mingsheng's face. It seemed that even though Wang Muzhi was in Fengzhou, he was well-informed. He knew that Song Wenhui had borrowed troops from the Shiwei people and was marching towards Changqing Prefecture, so he couldn't wait to come find him...
After Ye Dong finished telling the news, he hesitated for a moment and then told Ye Mingsheng:
"Master, Wang Muzhi didn't come alone. There's someone beside him who seems to be Lord Shen!"

Upon hearing the news, Ye Mingsheng, who was practicing boxing, was startled and stopped his movements temporarily. He then asked Ye Dong:

"Lord Shen? Are you talking about Shen Jianzhong?"

"From my appearance, it seems so!" Ye Dong nodded and said affirmatively:

Ye Mingsheng was silent for a while after hearing this, then he resumed his movements, performing the last four of the eight Vajra moves, namely the Horseshoe, Tiger Hug, Bear Squat, and Crane Step Push, with punches and kicks...

Seeing Ye Mingsheng's slow movements, although Ye Dong was a little anxious for Ye Mingsheng, he could only stay by his side to accompany Ye Mingsheng.

After a cup of tea, Ye Mingsheng finished his work and exhaled a breath of foul air. He remained silent and finally instructed Ye Dong:
"Tell them both I'll meet them later!" "Yes!"

Ye Dong, who was waiting for Ye Mingsheng's order, immediately took the order and left.

With Ye Dong's departure, Ye Mingsheng was the only one left in the backyard again. He was silent for a moment, and suddenly, without any warning, Ye Mingsheng punched the sandbag beside him heavily.

"boom!"

With a dull thud, the sandbag weighing hundreds of pounds exploded completely under Ye Mingsheng's punch.

After realizing Wang Muzhi's purpose of coming to Fengzhou, Ye Mingsheng had thought about what kind of countermeasures Wang Muzhi would use to try to force him to submit.

Ye Mingsheng did make some preparations for this...

However, Shen Jianzhong's appearance did surprise him.

Indeed, the arrival of his teacher meant that Chen Dechang and others had made sufficient preparations before coming here, and he was in big trouble!
But Ye Mingsheng did not have any fear in his heart. As the saying goes, one should look at a man with new eyes after three days of absence. Things may change over time. Don’t look down on a young man because he is poor!
Although Shen Jianzhong had jumped from a captain of the Supervisory Department to become the biggest spy chief in Liaoyang and the powerful Liaoyang Pacifier of the Supervisory Department.

But the current Ye Mingsheng is no longer the small commander of the imperial guards in the palace, who commanded only a thousand soldiers and was in constant fear and followed Shen Jianzhong everywhere and obeyed his orders!
Now, with his own struggle and hard work, he has become a vassal with 20,000 troops under his command. He is a key force influencing the situation in Liaoyang!
He has the chips and the ability to sit down with Shen Jianzhong and have a showdown!
After calming down for a while, Ye Mingsheng looked at the broken sandbags on the ground and said to himself:
“Teacher Shen, since you are here, let me learn from your methods…”

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Fengzhou General's Mansion, Main Hall

After waiting for about half an hour, Ye Mingsheng still did not show up. Wang Muzhi, who was sitting on the chair, finally couldn't help it and whispered to the black-robed man beside him, Shen Jianzhong:
"Is that student of yours playing tricks on us?"

Shen Jianzhong, who was resting with his eyes closed, did not open his eyes when he heard this, and said calmly:

"almost!"

Wang Muzhi frowned slightly when he heard this, but after thinking about it, he didn't say anything. He waited for about half an incense stick of time before he heard footsteps coming from outside the main hall.

Hearing the footsteps, Wang Muzhi suddenly became alert, and Shen Jianzhong, who had been resting with his eyes closed, also opened his eyes. Soon, a tall and strong figure appeared in their sight.

"Mingsheng greets Master Shen! Meets Lord Wang!"

Ye Mingsheng walked over with a smile, bowed to Shen Jianzhong and Wang Muzhi and said:

After taking a deep look at Ye Mingsheng, Shen Jianzhong nodded slightly, which was considered as greeting Ye Mingsheng. Compared with Shen Jianzhong, Wang Muzhi obviously did not have a good skill in nourishing his Qi. Seeing the appearance of the main person, he could no longer suppress the anger he had suffered on the way to Fengzhou. He looked at Ye Mingsheng and said in a deep voice:
"Master Ye, aren't you seriously ill and unable to get out of bed? Why are you smiling so happily now? Did you take some miraculous medicine and regain your vitality?"

Ye Mingsheng was not angry at Wang Muzhi's sarcasm, but just smiled and said:

"I have caught a cold recently. I am not feeling well and cannot move around. I am afraid of infecting others with the cold. I didn't expect Lord Wang to misunderstand me. I am so sorry, so sorry..."

After he finished speaking, Ye Mingsheng turned his gaze to Shen Jianzhong who was standing aside, and said calmly:
"Hearing that Master Shen was coming, Mingsheng was overjoyed. The cold he was suffering from was naturally cured by the medicine!"

Feeling the deep meaning in Ye Mingsheng's words, Shen Jianzhong's expression remained calm, without any change.

Wang Muzhi, on the other side, after he couldn't help but say something to Ye Mingsheng, perhaps he remembered his mission and restrained himself from saying anything to Ye Mingsheng.

As for Ye Mingsheng, he naturally would not waste any energy on Wang Muzhi. He knew very well who his next real opponent would be...
The three chatted in the main hall for a while. What surprised Ye Mingsheng was that Wang Muzhi, who had always been a pure military officer in his impression, actually refrained from speaking directly when the situation was so unfavorable to Changqing Prefecture, and let him talk nonsense about the customs and practices of Liaoyang.

Shen Jianzhong, who is usually good at talking, seemed a little silent today for some reason and didn't say a word.

But since you can endure it, Ye Mingsheng is not in a hurry. Anyway, Song Wenhui has not stationed heavy troops on the border of Fengzhou, so just chat slowly.

After chatting for a while, Wang Muzhi's patience was finally exhausted, and he couldn't help but say to Ye Mingsheng:
"Master Ye, how many people do you have under your command?"

Hearing Wang Muzhi asking knowingly, Ye Mingsheng, who was well prepared, naturally would not let him fall into his trap, and said with a smile:

"In reply to Lord Wang, I currently have 7,500 Zhenwu troops under my command!"

Seeing Ye Mingsheng lying with his eyes open, Wang Muzhi sneered and said to Ye Mingsheng in a cold voice:
"Master Ye, are you joking, or do you think we are all fools?"

"You have 5,000 troops stationed in Xiangshuiyuan and 5,000 in Xinfa County, which makes 10,000 troops! And there are at least 6,000 troops stationed in Fengzhou City. Add to that the militias and local militias in various counties and towns in Fengzhou. Ye Mingsheng, how many more troops do you have under your command than 20,000?"

"Master Ye, General Ye, do you know the laws of our Great Zhou? What kind of crime is it for a general to recruit soldiers and expand the army privately without permission?"

Hearing Wang Muzhi here, threatening him in a stern voice, Ye Mingsheng did not feel the slightest fear or anger in his heart. On the contrary, he admired Wang Muzhi very much...
This is a man who is loyal to Shangguan Hongyuan to the core. He understands that his decision depends on his own thoughts, but for Shangguan Hongyuan, he still does it without hesitation.

After looking at Wang Muzhi for a few seconds, Ye Mingsheng smiled and said:
"Don't worry, Lord Wang. Listen to me slowly. What you said is correct. There are indeed 20,000 soldiers and horses in Fengzhou now. These people and horses are there. Lord Wang, you have seen it. Even if I want to, I can't fake it."

"But sir, what you are asking is how many troops I have, not how many troops there are in Fengzhou! That's different, sir!"

"Humph! Ye Mingsheng, are you trying to quibble? Everyone knows that the soldiers of Fengzhou obey your orders. What is the difference between the soldiers under your command and those of Fengzhou?" Wang Muzhi asked with a sneer:

(Indeed, some of my fellow readers are very capable and guessed my arrangement correctly, which really makes me feel ashamed (p′︵‵.)
(End of this chapter)