Chapter 316: The truth is revealed! (Thanks to the book friend 30966 for the reward!)

Facing Wang Muzhi's heart-piercing question, Ye Mingsheng said calmly:
"Lord Wang, there is a huge difference between the two. They cannot be confused!"

"You're asking about the number of soldiers under my command. That's naturally the 7,500 men of the Zhenwu Army!"

"As for the remaining troops, they are all local militias and rural warriors, affiliated with Fengzhou, and not under the control of the Zhenwu Army! As the general, I only have the power to command in wartime. In normal times, these troops still have to obey the local dispatch."

"And you know, sir, that according to the laws of the Great Zhou, local militias are not allowed to be transferred out of their territories without the order of the court. Violators will be severely punished and executed immediately...

"If you don't believe what I said, you can go and ask Governor Murong to verify it!"

After hearing Ye Mingsheng's explanation, although Wang Muzhi knew that Ye Mingsheng was playing word games with him, at least on the surface, he could not find any loopholes in Ye Mingsheng's words, so he could only continue to say in a cold voice:
"Master Ye, you are really eloquent and good at making arguments. I'm afraid Murong Yuliang is already in the same boat with you, right?"

Ye Mingsheng sighed when he heard this, then pretended to be helpless and said:

"Prefect Murong has been in Fengzhou for just over a month, and he comes from a prominent family like the Murong family. How can a boy from a poor family like me marry into this family... Prefect Murong is really good at finding excuses to accuse someone..."

Wang Muzhi became even more angry after hearing this. He really didn't expect that Ye Mingsheng's wolf ambition had been clearly revealed, but at this moment he was still shamelessly making excuses. It was really infuriating!
Looking at Wang Muzhi with anger burning in his eyes, Ye Mingsheng remained calm. He was not really worried that Wang Muzhi would go to find Murong Yuliang.

This does not mean that Ye Mingsheng has already colluded with Murong Yuliang. In fact, except for the last meeting at the General's Mansion, Ye Mingsheng and him have not met again, and the information between them is also communicated and exchanged through their subordinates.

The reason why Ye Mingsheng was so confident was that he knew Murong Yuliang was a smart man. Murong Yuliang was able to realize that even if he and Wang Muzhi joined forces, they would not be able to kill him. Once he came to his senses, it would be him, Murong Yuliang, who would die. So he would not do such a brainless thing as joining forces with Wang Muzhi...

Seeing that Wang Muzhi was completely defeated in front of Ye Mingsheng and did not gain any advantage, Shen Jianzhong, who had remained silent all the time, finally took action. He looked at Ye Mingsheng and said in a deep voice:

"Mingsheng, I was the one who told you about the opportunity to revitalize the Wu Army, so now I am giving you another chance as well!"

"Forget about those things you shouldn't be thinking about and become a general of the Great Zhou again. I guarantee with my life that your previous actions will be wiped out and Commander Chen will not pursue you!"

Before Shen Jianzhong's low voice fell completely, a faint smile appeared on Ye Mingsheng's angular face.

Under Shen Jianzhong's gaze, Ye Mingsheng smiled calmly:

"Teacher Shen's words make me feel terrified. I don't know what Mingsheng did wrong to make Teacher Shen say this?"

"All Ye wants in his heart is to protect the country and the people and serve the court. Master Shen, you worry too much!"

Seeing Ye Mingsheng reject his proposal without hesitation, even though Shen Jianzhong already knew the result, a hint of disappointment still appeared in his eyes...

Although when they were in Zhaowu Camp, he, as the coach, did not have close contacts with Ye Mingsheng, they were just ordinary teacher-student relations.

However, with the surprise attack on Liujing, and his later guidance of Ye Mingsheng to join the Zhenwu Army, and his recommendation to An Zhirong that Ye Mingsheng be stationed in Fengzhou, all of this has made Shen Jianzhong regard Ye Mingsheng as his most outstanding students.

Therefore, he sincerely did not want Ye Mingsheng to go astray and become a traitor, ending up defeated and killed, leaving behind eternal infamy!

Feeling Shen Jianzhong's disappointment, Ye Mingsheng also felt a little emotional.

History told him that the path he was taking was a one-way street, there was no way back!

The people under his command tied their heads to their belts and followed him, Ye, isn't it just to fight for wealth and glory?
He has retired, so how will those who followed him cope with the situation?
Even if we take a step back, if Ye retreats now, he will be used as cannon fodder by Chen Dechang, and he will rush to the front and fight to the death with Song Wenhui!

Even if he is lucky enough to survive, he will definitely be held accountable by Chen Dechang afterwards. By that time, when he will be killed and his head will be separated, what is the use of Shen Jianzhong's guarantee with his life?

Since the hope of a peaceful solution had been dashed, Shen Jianzhong stopped talking to Ye Mingsheng. He took out an envelope from his pocket, handed it to Ye Mingsheng, and said calmly:

"Mingsheng, take a look at this thing, you should know what it is!"

Upon hearing this, Ye Mingsheng looked at the envelope in his hand, then looked at Shen Jianzhong. Although he didn't know what was in the envelope, his intuition told Ye Mingsheng that the things inside must not be simple...

After pondering for a while, Ye Mingsheng finally opened the envelope and took out the letter inside. The content on the letter was not a letter, but a list.

In addition to the seventeen names, the list also includes their identities, addresses, etc. It looks very detailed!

Ye Mingsheng did not recognize most of the names on the list, but after seeing a few names he recognized, Ye Mingsheng immediately realized what the list was. Although his face remained expressionless, his heart sank.

At this moment, Shen Jianzhong's voice sounded again, and he said lightly:
"Within three days, I can make them all beheaded!"

After hearing this, Ye Mingsheng was very annoyed, but he didn't say anything. He knew that Shen Jianzhong had this ability!

Seeing Ye Mingsheng didn't say anything, Shen Jianzhong continued:

"Mingsheng, I have good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?"

“Master Shen, please do as you please!” Ye Mingsheng said in a deep voice with his eyes slightly narrowed. He knew that Shen Jianzhong would start using coercion and inducement in order to get him to send out troops...
"In that case, let's start with the bad news. It's icy and snowy outside right now, and it's hard for people and goods to move around. The price of grain in Liaoyang has also risen a lot. I heard that because of the increase in costs, the Dalongchang Company intends to provide grain to Fengzhou, and the price has increased from 1 tael and 7 cents per stone to 2 taels and 2 cents!"

"Also, the prices of coal and iron in the market have dropped a lot, so the Dalongchang Company is also planning to reduce the purchase price of these two items by 30%!"

"Mingsheng, you must prepare early!" Shen Jianzhong said meaningfully:
Upon hearing this, Ye Mingsheng's face suddenly turned cold. Shen Jianzhong was indeed Shen Jianzhong. If he didn't attack, it would be fine. But once he did, he hit him in the vital point.

In order to expand its strength and fill the population gap in Fengzhou, Ye Mingsheng's immigration policy has attracted nearly 100,000 people so far.

The existence of these people provided soldiers for Ye Mingsheng's army and abundant and cheap labor for the development of Fengzhou, but also brought huge food pressure to Fengzhou.

Although the food pressure has been alleviated thanks to Ye Mingsheng's efforts to increase revenue and reduce expenditure, it has only maintained a balance between income and expenditure, and Fengzhou is still not rich in food...

As one of Ye Mingsheng's methods of increasing revenue and reducing expenditure, if the main grain supplier, Dalongchang Company, raised the grain price to two taels and two cents per stone, and lowered the purchase price of iron and coal, the main financial pillars of Fengzhou, it would undoubtedly increase Ye Mingsheng's financial expenditure and thus disrupt the balance of grain in Fengzhou.

The most helpless thing is that it is basically impossible for Ye Mingsheng to replace Dalongchang!

First of all, few other businesses are as large as Dalongchang and can provide so much grain to Fengzhou.

Secondly, Shen Jianzhong could not sit idly by and watch Ye Mingsheng replace the Dalongchang Company with another grain supplier. As the biggest spy chief in Liaoyang, he would definitely use assassinations, poisonings, arson, and all kinds of sinister means to prevent other grains from entering Fengzhou.

Ye Mingsheng can guarantee food security within Fengzhou, but outside Fengzhou, Ye Mingsheng is out of reach and unable to stop it...
Once the food balance in Fengzhou is disrupted by Shen Jianzhong and Ye Mingsheng does not have enough food to appease the various tribes, the situation in Fengzhou, which has now become stable, will be disrupted again.

Ye Mingsheng might be able to stabilize the situation with his iron-blooded tactics, but he is powerless to move forward!
Therefore, Shen Jianzhong's move seems to be just adjusting the price and does not cause much harm, but in fact it is extremely vicious!
If Ye Mingsheng could still withstand the list that Shen Jianzhong took out, then Shen Jianzhong was shaking the foundation of his rule in Fengzhou!
The owner behind the Dalongchang Company is An Zhirong, and An Zhirong and Shen Jianzhong are accomplices, so Ye Mingsheng has no doubt that the Dalongchang Company will obey Shen Jianzhong's orders to deal with him.

However, Ye Mingsheng never expected that Shen Jianzhong would use the Dalongchang Trading Company as a chess piece!
After all, although Dalongchang is very important to him, its lifeline is also in his hands. As long as he cuts off the trade route to Xiangshuiyuan, Dalongchang will be ruined!
Shen Jianzhong must be aware of this. Could he be willing to give up the huge profits of Dalongchang Trading Company?
Or maybe he had something to rely on and was sure that he would not cut off Xiangshuiyuan's trade route?

Thinking of this, Ye Mingsheng couldn't help but recall the news that Huo San had reported to him before, that because of the activities of the Supervisory Department, Yelu Kang had betrayed his secret deal with him...
Ye Mingsheng couldn't help but smile bitterly. This Shen Jianzhong was really plotting one thing after another and it was obvious that he wanted to take him down!
"Master Shen, now that we have finished talking about the bad news, please tell us the good news!" After a moment of silence, Ye Mingsheng looked at Shen Jianzhong and asked:
Hearing Ye Mingsheng's question, Shen Jianzhong also smiled and said:

"The good news is that I can help you intercede with the Dalongchang Company to maintain the current price. Moreover, Changqing Prefecture now has a batch of 30,000 dan of grain and fodder that can be provided to Fengzhou!"

Ye Mingsheng was not surprised by Shen Jianzhong's good news. He nodded and asked:

"Master Shen, what should I do?"

Seeing Ye Mingsheng speak so bluntly, Shen Jianzhong was a little surprised, but he didn't pay much attention to such details and continued to speak in a deep voice:
"The enemy army is powerful. Commander Chen is preparing to clear the fields between the cities in Changqing Prefecture. All other preparations are ready. What we lack now is a cavalry unit to act as guerrillas and attack the enemy's food supply route..."

After hearing what Shen Jianzhong said, Ye Mingsheng immediately understood what Shen Jianzhong wanted to get from him. This surprised Ye Mingsheng a little.

He originally thought that Shen Jianzhong would transfer 8,000 to 10,000 troops from here, but he didn't expect that from his expression, he only wanted 2,500 cavalrymen from his own cavalry battalion.

But when Ye Mingsheng thought about it carefully, he understood what Shen Jianzhong was up to. Shen Jianzhong was playing the salami tactic with him again. He knew that he would definitely not agree if Shen Jianzhong asked for so many troops at one time.

So this is slowly setting a trap for yourself, asking for it bit by bit. As long as you agree to it the first time, then there will undoubtedly be a second time, a third time, a fourth time...

It won't be long before the 20,000 soldiers under his command will be withdrawn by him, and he will become a commander without troops, and will eventually die!
Thinking of this, Ye Mingsheng sneered, raised his head and looked at Shen Jianzhong, and asked very seriously:

"Master Shen, is there no room for negotiation?"

"Mingsheng, this is your only way out!" Shen Jianzhong said with a serious expression and a tough attitude, without giving in:

Ye Mingsheng didn't say anything when he heard this, but just picked up the tea and took a big sip. Seeing that Ye Mingsheng actually drove them away, Shen Jianzhong and Wang Mu were both a little angry, and they stood up immediately.

"Mingsheng, I will stay in Fengzhou City for three days. After three days, we will return to Changqing Prefecture. You can take care of yourself and hurry up!"

As soon as Shen Jianzhong finished speaking, he and Wang Muzhi walked out without hesitation.

Watching the two people's backs gradually turn into a small black dot, and finally completely disappear outside the general's mansion, Ye Mingsheng said in a deep voice:

"Come out!"

Following Ye Mingsheng's order, Gu Sansi and Huo San came to Ye Mingsheng. Just now, when Ye Mingsheng was facing Shen Jianzhong and Wang Muzhi in the main hall, the two of them were waiting on the side to listen...
Picking up the list that Shen Jianzhong handed to him, Ye Mingsheng threw it hard at Huo San.

Huo San was surprised. He picked up the list and took a closer look. His face turned pale. He immediately knelt in front of Ye Mingsheng and shouted in shame:
"I have betrayed your trust and I deserve to die!"

Ye Mingsheng ignored Huo San's apology. His attention had now shifted to Gu Sansi.

"Mr. Gu, is everything ready?"

"Of course! Shen Jianzhong has his own plan, but I also have a way to get over the wall. In less than three days, I will have him back here and sitting at the negotiation table again tomorrow!" Gu Sansi answered calmly and confidently without hesitation:
(End of this chapter)