Chapter 349: Nothing in the box!

Luo'an East City, Shangguan Mansion

Chu Yuanshan, the left assistant minister of the Ministry of War, was reporting to Shangguan Hongyuan, who was sitting in the main seat with an extraordinary demeanor:
"Reporting to the Prime Minister, the current situation in Liaoyang is very bad. The Liaoyang army will be able to surround Changqing City in a few days!"

Shangguan Hongyuan was not surprised by this result. He picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and asked calmly:
"What do all the officials in the court think?"

Hearing Shangguan Hongyuan's question, Chu Yuanshan hesitated for a moment before speaking:
"Everyone has different opinions and attitudes!"

"Minister Xu of the Ministry of War believes that Song Wenhui's so-called ten crimes against the Zhenwu Army are all slanders, so he insists that Song Wenhui is rebelling and that the imperial army should be sent to Liaoyang to quell the rebellion..."

"Duke Dingguo and Duke Chengguo believe that this is a serious matter and they should investigate whether the Zhenwu Army has committed these ten crimes before making a decision. They must not wrongly accuse the Zhenwu Army or Song Wenhui!"

"As for Lord Lin from the Ministry of Revenue, he remained silent and did not participate in it!"

Shangguan Hongyuan sneered when he heard this. Just when Chu Yuanshan was confused, he suddenly asked Chu Yuanshan very seriously:

"are you ready?"

Chu Yuanshan's expression suddenly became serious after hearing this. Although Shangguan Hongyuan did not say it directly, he naturally understood what Shangguan Hongyuan was asking. He took a deep breath quietly, suppressed the excitement in his heart, and tried to appear neither arrogant nor impatient as he said:

"If you entrust me with this important task, I will do my best to repay your kindness until my death!"

Shangguan Hongyuan was still very satisfied with Chu Yuanshan's statement. He immediately waved his hand to indicate that Chu Yuanshan could go home and wait for news. Seeing this, Chu Yuanshan bowed to Shangguan Hongyuan for a long time and then slowly retreated.

After Chu Yuanshan left, Shangguan Mansion welcomed its second guest, who was the commander of the Supervisory Department - Chen Jingyu!

As if she understood what Shangguan Hongyuan wanted to hear, Chen Jingyu said directly without any nonsense as soon as she saw Shangguan Hongyuan:
“Your Excellency, the spy planted in Lord Xu’s mansion reports that someone sent a secret letter to the Xu mansion three days ago. We are currently investigating where the secret letter came from, but what is certain is that it was this secret letter that made Minister Xu change his mind. Minister Xu initially wanted to remain silent about the Liaoyang Incident…”

Chen Jingyu's words undoubtedly made Shangguan Hongyuan more determined. He said with some emotion:
"There are only a few people who can persuade Xu Bingyang. There is no need to investigate further."

"I really didn't expect that this old man has been secluded for so many years, but his prestige is still as high as before. A letter can make Xu Bingyang betray me and join forces with Yang Chunchen to put on such a big show for me. He is really a master strategist and a master in the court!"

Chen Jingyu was not at all surprised by Shangguan Hongyuan's sigh. He had been able to sit firmly in the position of commander-in-chief of the Supervisory Department for more than ten years. He was naturally a smart man who was meticulous and could naturally detect that something was wrong!

Although the Minister of War Xu Bingyang has been a staunch ally of Prime Minister Shangguan Hongyuan in the past decade, and Shangguan Hongyuan's biggest supporter in the court and the cabinet, and has played a very key role in Shangguan Hongyuan's control of the army, this time he seems to have stabbed Shangguan Hongyuan with a knife...
The Zhenwu Army is a key chess piece of Shangguan Hongyuan. Now this important chess piece has been forced into a precarious situation by Song Wenhui. Logically, Shangguan Hongyuan should send troops to rescue and save the Zhenwu Army from the dire straits. As a member of Shangguan Hongyuan's faction, Xu Bingyang insisted on sending troops, which was not wrong!
But the key to the matter is not whether to send troops or not, but the current situation!

If it were normal times, with Shangguan Hongyuan's usual strength and iron fist, he would never have given Song Wenhui such an opportunity and would have taken the initiative to send the imperial guards to Liaoyang!
But times have changed!
Compared with the past few years, there is less gunpowder in the court today, and there are fewer attacks and blaming between factions. However, this does not mean that these loyal ministers and generals of the Great Zhou Dynasty should start to seek common ground while reserving differences, put aside their conflicts, and start to work for good and unite!

The peace now is more like the last calm before the storm...
Everyone seemed to be aware of what was going to happen next and were all quietly preparing for something!
As Shangguan Hongyuan relied on the support of the Imperial Guards to become the Prime Minister, his greatest reliance was the loyalty of his 200,000 Imperial Guards. What made Shangguan Hongyuan most cautious was that he didn't know how many of his men had secretly defected to the noble families who stood on the opposite side of him.

Therefore, in the current turbulent situation, in order to maintain his rule, Shangguan Hongyuan must firmly grasp the military power in his hands to deal with the storm that is about to happen!

For the sake of the overall situation, Guan Hongyuan would never send troops to rescue the Zhenwu Army at the moment, so as to avoid dividing the troops and giving those with ulterior motives an opportunity to take advantage!
Only the Zhenwu Army themselves can save themselves!

As the Minister of War of the imperial court, and as an old fox who has been rampant in the court for decades, Shangguan Hongyuan’s close comrade-in-arms Xu Bingyang would not fail to understand this truth...

Therefore, there is only one possibility for him to take the initiative and openly instigate the dispatch of troops: he is obviously harboring evil intentions!
After sighing for a few words, Shangguan Hongyuan did not continue the topic, but continued to ask Chen Jingyu:
"What's the situation in Liaoyang?"

"Shen Jianzhong just sent a message back a few days ago, saying that everything is going as planned and Song Wenhui is like a dead bone in a tomb. However, there are still some unexpected situations, and there may be some minor troubles..." Chen Jingyu's face looked a little bitter at the end.

After hearing Chen Jingyu's words, Shangguan Hongyuan seemed to understand something. His face darkened and he said in a deep voice:

"Is it that disloyal and unfilial Ye Mingsheng again, who is worse than pigs and dogs?"

Chen Jingyu nodded awkwardly and introduced:
"This Ye Mingsheng is developing very fast. He just took over Posuo Mansion some time ago, and his military force has expanded to about 50,000. He also has ambiguous relationships with some Liaoyang clans like the Cui family and the Yun family, which has become a big hidden danger!"

"boom!"

Hearing Chen Jingyu say this, Shangguan Hongyuan, whose face was already unhappy, couldn't help but slam the table heavily.

The reason why he overcame numerous obstacles and resolutely established the Zhaowu Camp was that he wanted to promote and cultivate a group of young people who were loyal to him from an early age.

And now Ye Mingsheng's betrayal was undoubtedly a heavy slap in his face, telling him that the Zhaowu Camp he was so proud of, as well as the efforts and hard work he had put into the Zhaowu Camp over the years, were nothing but a pile of stinky dog ​​shit! The people he had cultivated with all his heart and soul were all ambitious people...

Seeing Shangguan Hongyuan so angry, Chen Jingyu immediately bowed, feeling a little terrified in his heart. When the Zhenwu Army was formed, the Supervisory Office conducted an investigation on all the military officers transferred to the Zhenwu Army. Only after confirming that the person had a clean background and was loyal to Shangguan Hongyuan were they transferred to the Zhenwu Army. Therefore, he was also to blame for Ye Mingsheng's rebellion.

Although he was very angry, Shangguan Hongyuan had not lost his mind. He knew very well that the situation in Liaoyang could only rely on Chen Dechang, Shen Jianzhong and others, so now was not the time to pursue responsibility. After a moment of silence, he asked Chen Jingyu:
"Chen Dechang, Shen Jianzhong, how are they going to deal with Ye Mingsheng?"

Seeing that Shangguan Hongyuan's emotions had stabilized, Chen Jingyu was relieved and replied:

"Shen Jianzhong plans to trick Ye Mingsheng into sending troops to attack Dongning Prefecture, and then arrange for the Khitans to launch a surprise attack on Fengzhou, so that Ye Mingsheng will be unable to take care of both ends..." After hearing this plan, Shangguan Hongyuan thought about it, his gloomy face improved, and he said in a deep voice:

"Tell Chen Dechang, Shen Jianzhong, and Wang Muzhi that I am waiting for their good news in Luoan. It would be best to capture Ye Mingsheng alive and bring him back to Luoan. I want to ask him in person why he is so heartless and shameless!"

"Yes!"

After saying this, Chen Jingyu looked at Shangguan Hongyuan, who was still angry, and began to comfort him:

"Prime Minister, as the saying goes, there are all kinds of birds in the forest. Over the years, you have trained hundreds of rising talents in Zhaowu Camp. Among so many people, there is bound to be a scum. Except for him, everyone is loyal to you, Prime Minister, and is willing to sacrifice their lives for you!"

After hearing Chen Jingyu's words, Shangguan Hongyuan gradually calmed down, nodded and said in a deep voice:

"You are right. We can't let Ye Mingsheng, a bad apple, spoil the whole pot of soup!"

After he finished speaking, Shangguan Hongyuan pondered for a while, then ordered someone to bring an empty lunch box, handed it to Chen Jingyu and instructed:

"Go to Xu's house in person and give this to Xu Bingyang, and tell him that I sent him some fruit..."

Although Shangguan Hongyuan's tone had returned to its usual calm when he said this, a chill ran up Chen Jingyu's back when he saw the empty lunch box. Although he knew that Shangguan Hongyuan would not let Xu Bingyang go after such an incident.

But he never expected that Shangguan Hongyuan's first move would be so ruthless and direct!
Xu Bingyang is the second most important figure in the faction, second only to Shangguan Hongyuan. He has been firmly supporting Shangguan Hongyuan for more than ten years!

Chen Jingyu, who was shocked, suppressed her emotions and immediately picked up the lunch box.

"Yes, I'll do it right away!"

Chen Jingyu, feeling very complicated, soon came to Xu's house with a lunch box to meet Xu Bingyang. The Minister of War of the Great Zhou Dynasty was not surprised by Chen Jingyu's sudden visit.

Looking at the empty lunch box brought by Chen Jingyu, Xu Bingyang's old face actually showed a smile of understanding. Seeing this, Chen Jingyu couldn't help but asked with some doubt:

"Minister Xu, why are you like this?"

After hearing Chen Jingyu's words, Xu Bingyang shook his head, hesitated for a while, and then said quietly:

"I am nearly 70 years old and won't live much longer, but they still have to live!"

"The Prime Minister has treated me very well. This is the best outcome for me!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Bingyang took out a long sword with a smile, and his fingers lightly brushed across the sword's edge. There was a hint of reluctance, some unwillingness, and a little bit of relief in his expression...

The next second, Xu Bingyang slashed his sword and killed himself! The Minister of War of the Great Zhou Dynasty died!
Looking at the very peaceful Xu Bingyang, Chen Jingyu felt very heavy-hearted. Although he was a little confused about what Xu Bingyang said, he could vaguely guess what Xu Bingyang meant by his last words.

Shangguan Hongyuan asked Xu Bingyang to commit suicide instead of being beheaded. This was to preserve Xu Bingyang's dignity. It was also a promise to Xu Bingyang that if he committed suicide, he would not touch his family!
an hour later
At the Luoan Lin Mansion, Lin Yi, who received the news, came to the backyard of the mansion and reported to his father Lin Shize who was fishing:

"Dad, Xu Bingyang committed suicide!"

Lin Shize, who was fishing, heard this, sighed and said helplessly:
"Xu Bingyang is really loyal to Shangguan Hongyuan, otherwise it would be easier to deal with Shangguan Hongyuan with his help. It's such a pity..."

･･････････
･･････････
Fengzhou, the general's headquarters.

Ye Mingsheng in the study was carefully studying the sand table filled with small flags in front of him, while Ye Tie beside him said:
"My Lord, the waiter sent by the Zhenwu Army has arrived and hopes to see you. What do you think we should do with you?"

"What is the identity of this person?" Ye Mingsheng continued to study the sand table in front of him and asked without turning his head:
The current arrangement in the sand table is based on the latest intelligence obtained by the Coordination Office from Changqing Prefecture. Each small flag represents a team of soldiers.

"The man is called Cao Guang. He is said to be Wang Muzhi's lieutenant general. He came to Fengzhou with Wang Muzhi last time!" Ye Tie thought for a moment and introduced:
"Since he is just a lieutenant general, let him wait!" Ye Mingsheng said calmly:

Ye Mingsheng knew exactly what the purpose of this lieutenant named Cao Guang coming to see him was, he just wanted him to send troops to attack Song Wenhui.
To be honest, even if it wasn't for the sake of Zhenwu Army, just to protect himself, Ye Mingsheng would send troops to fight Song Wenhui!

Although he was somewhat puzzled as to why the Zhenwu Army behaved so properly, Ye Mingsheng had to prepare for the worst, as he and the Zhenwu Army were now in a relationship of mutual dependence.

The reason why Song Wenhui always showed kindness to him and was willing to promise him a high position and generous salary was because of the existence of the Zhenwu Army. If the Zhenwu Army failed, then Ye Mingsheng would definitely not have a good time...

As for Wang Muzhi, who is currently leading the Zhenwu Army in battle, although Ye Mingsheng admires his loyalty to Shangguan Hongyuan, he also finds it a little funny. After all, the person you swear allegiance to is the most disloyal person in the world!

If it weren't for those nobles and aristocratic families who tried their best to stop him, Shangguan Hongyuan would have pulled his nephew off the throne and killed him ten years ago!

(End of this chapter)