Chapter 352: Speculations from clues!

An hour later, Qin Guang, who had eaten and drunk his fill, was brought to Ye Mingsheng.

Looking at Ye Mingsheng's calm expression, Qin Guang was filled with anxiety. At this moment, he no longer cared about his dignity. As soon as he saw Ye Mingsheng, he knelt down in front of Ye Mingsheng with a plop and said earnestly:
"Sir, one hundred thousand rebels are attacking the city day and night, Changqing Prefecture is in danger!"

"The only one who can lift the siege of Changqing Prefecture is you, General Ye. I hope you will send troops to rescue us because we are all comrades in the Zhenwu Army. We are all grateful to you, General Ye!"

Seeing that Qin Guang was so excited right from the start, Ye Mingsheng was not in a hurry and said calmly:
"There's no rush to send troops. You stand up and talk first..."

Seeing Ye Mingsheng taking his time, Qin Guang's anxiety undoubtedly increased by three points. He clasped his fists towards Ye Mingsheng and said firmly:

"Master Ye, have you heard of the story that Duke Xian of Jin used the passage of Yu to destroy Guo and finally annexed Yu?"

"When the lips fall, the teeth will be cold!"

"When the nest is overturned, how can the eggs remain intact? If my Zhenwu Army is defeated, the next target of the rebels will definitely be you! If my Zhenwu Army is defeated, who will lend a helping hand to you?"

"Sir, if you don't agree to send troops, I will kneel and die here!"

Seeing Qin Guang so determined, Ye Mingsheng showed a playful smile. This Qin Guang really gets angry when he says you are fat. He just compared him to Shen Baoxu, a doctor of the State of Chu, and now this guy is trying to give him a warning by dying...

Fine! If you want to kneel, then kneel down!
After adjusting his mood, Ye Mingsheng asked calmly:

"Commander Qin, how many days have you been away from Changqing Prefecture today?"

Hearing Ye Mingsheng's question, Qin Guang didn't know what Ye Mingsheng meant by this question, but he answered honestly:
"Today is the seventh day since I left Changqing Prefecture!"

Ye Mingsheng did not respond and continued to ask:
"Then do you know what the current situation in Changqing Prefecture is like?"

"I don't know! I only know that the rebels are attacking Changqing Prefecture day and night." Qin Guang shook his head and said:
Ye Mingsheng picked up the file on the desk and threw it to Qin Guang who was kneeling on the ground and said with a smile:

"Commander Qin, this is the latest battle report from Changqing Prefecture. You can take a look! Although the rebels are fighting fiercely, Changqing Prefecture is still as solid as a rock. There is no problem holding out for another month!"

Qin Guang was also very concerned about the situation in Changqing Prefecture. When he heard Ye Mingsheng say that this was the latest battle report, he immediately picked up the file and read it carefully without blinking. At this time, Ye Mingsheng was also quietly observing the changes in Qin Guang's expression.

Ever since he realized something was wrong with Changqing Prefecture, Ye Mingsheng had never been willing to believe that Wang Muzhi and the Zhenwu Army were really so mediocre. Compared to this explanation, Ye Mingsheng was more willing to believe that Wang Muzhi and Shen Jianzhong had teamed up to set a trap for Song Wenhui...
Although Ye Mingsheng had this idea and consciously asked Huo San's coordination office to investigate the news in this regard, Ye Mingsheng has not yet obtained any reliable evidence.

Although Ye Mingsheng had not seen Qin Guang during the time he came to Fengzhou, he was not idle. He had been asking Huo San's coordination office to conduct a background check on Qin Guang.

Yesterday, Huo San finally handed him the results of the investigation. According to Huo San's results, Qin Guang had been following Wang Muzhi since the Shenwu Army period, all the way to Liaoyang, and was Wang Muzhi's most trusted confidant.

Therefore, for Ye Mingsheng, Qin Guang in front of him is an opportunity for him to expose the conspiracy of Shen Jianzhong and Wang Mu!
Under Ye Mingsheng's gaze, Qin Guang's expression gradually changed from nervousness to surprise, and finally to a little worry...

After half a cup of tea, Qin Guang put down the file, knelt on the ground, and continued to bow to Ye Mingsheng, saying very earnestly:

"Sir, you think too highly of us. The rebels are so powerful that they have trapped us in a corner of the city. It is a blessing from heaven that our army has been able to hold out until now. General Ye, if you don't send troops to help, this city will be breached sooner or later!"

"Rush to help Changqing Prefecture? Do you know what Lord Shen from the Supervisory Office told me when you came to Fengzhou a few months ago?"

"He asked me to attack Shoucheng to save Zhao from Wei!"

Listening to Ye Mingsheng's words, Qin Guang was stunned for a moment and then said;
"Sir, the situation is urgent and you'd better send troops to help Changqing Prefecture. Of course, if you want to attack Shoucheng, that's fine too. Now, sir, as long as you take action, it will be a great favor to us..."

Ye Mingsheng narrowed his eyes when he heard this, and understood a little.

After a while, Ye Mingsheng asked him again about the situation in Changqing City. Qin Guang answered fluently, mainly emphasizing the word "miserable". He emphasized to Ye Mingsheng how dangerous Changqing City was. If Ye Mingsheng did not send troops, Changqing City would be finished.

After listening to what Qin Guang said, Ye Mingsheng was silent for a while, and then promised Qin Guang that he would send troops in three days. Qin Guang was extremely happy to receive Ye Mingsheng's promise.

However, Qin Guang hoped that Ye Mingsheng could send troops as soon as possible, preferably tomorrow. After being rejected by Ye Mingsheng, he left angrily and said that he would travel day and night to return to Changqing Prefecture to tell Chen Dechang, Wang Muzhi and others the good news.

After seeing Qin Guang off, Ye Mingsheng returned to the study. Looking at the sand table in front of him, he thought for an hour, and then ordered people to find Gu Sansi and He Jingyun... When the two came to the study of the general's mansion, Ye Mingsheng pointed directly at the sand table in front of him without any politeness or greetings, and said to the two people in front of him in a deep voice:
"Changqing Prefecture is a trap set by the Zhenwu Army for Song Wenhui. Where do you think the Zhenwu Army will turn the tables?"

When Ye Mingsheng said this, He Jingyun and Gu Sansi were both shocked. Gu Sansi was the first to react and asked Ye Mingsheng:
"Why do you say that, sir? But is there any news from Lord Huo?"

Ye Mingsheng shook his head upon hearing this and said in a deep voice:
"There is no news from Huo San. I made this judgment myself! I just met Qin Guang, the envoy of Zhenwu Army. He is a close confidant of Wang Muzhi. He meant that our army can either rush to support Changqing Prefecture or attack Shoucheng!"

Before Ye Mingsheng finished speaking, a gleam of light flashed in Gu Sansi's eyes, and He Jingyun, who was standing beside him, looked puzzled after thinking for a while, as if he had also noticed something...

Seeing that everyone had reacted, Ye Mingsheng felt a little emotional. Although he still didn't know how Shen Jianzhong did it, judging from the current situation, it seemed that Changqing Prefecture's bad chess game was really going to be revived by him!

During the last meeting, Ye Mingsheng proposed the tactic of using the Zhenwu Army to contain the enemy from the front while the Fengzhou Army waited for an opportunity to strike from behind. Both Ye Mingsheng and Shen Jianzhong understood that it was just a stopgap measure forced by the situation.

Moreover, this plan was based on the premise that Ye Mingsheng could quickly capture Xuantu Prefecture and then threaten Dongning Prefecture. Only in this case would Song Wenhui withdraw his troops from Changqing Prefecture under the control of Zhenwu Army in order to protect his own nest.

In the current situation, if Ye Mingsheng wants to attack Dongning Prefecture to save Changqing Prefecture, then Shoucheng is a tough nut he must chew.

Song Wenhui was also very clear about this. He had already arranged elite soldiers and generals in Shoucheng and was ready for Ye Mingsheng to lead his troops to join the war. Even if Ye Mingsheng sent troops to attack Shoucheng, he might not be able to capture it.

Even if Ye Mingsheng could take Shoucheng, he might not be able to do so before Changqingfu fell!

Therefore, the plan of besieging Wei to save Zhao was close to bankruptcy from the day Song Wenhui sent troops to Shoucheng!
Could it be that Shen Jianzhong didn't understand this truth?

As someone who controls the entire intelligence network of the Supervisory Department in Liaoyang, he certainly understands this principle better than anyone else!

If what Changqing Prefecture said was true, then the situation was critical and the Zhenwu Army was about to be defeated...
So now there is only one way to save the Zhenwu Army and save the situation in Changqing Prefecture - that is for Ye Mingsheng to lead the army to Changqing Prefecture!
By then, when Chen Dechang and Ye Mingsheng work together, the military advantage of Song Wenhui's Liaoyang troops will be greatly reduced, and the crisis in Changqing Prefecture will be greatly alleviated. In the end, the two sides will be in a stalemate, and Song Wenhui will definitely withdraw his troops under the pressure of money and food, and the situation in Changqing Prefecture will be resolved.

Ye Mingsheng believed that this was the only way to keep the territory of Changqing Prefecture when Chen Dechang and his men had no other options!
But now Qin Guang, who came on behalf of the Zhenwu Army, meant that Ye Mingsheng could lead his troops to attack Shoucheng or rush to support Changqing Prefecture. This seemed to be a choice between two options, but in fact, the Zhenwu Army might think that Ye Mingsheng would choose the former.

After all, although Shoucheng is strong, as long as Ye Mingsheng captures Shoucheng, he can then capture Xuantu Prefecture and head straight for Dongning Prefecture. In this way, the wealthy areas of Liaoyang will be exposed to Ye Mingsheng's sword. The huge benefits this brings are far better than going to Changqing Prefecture to work for the Zhenwu Army and fighting to the death with the main force of the Liaoyang Army...

This raises a contradiction: Are Chen Dechang, Shen Jianzhong, and Wang Muzhi such kind people?

Are you willing to risk the destruction of the city and the death of people just to bet that Ye Mingsheng can take Shoucheng in a short time?
This is obviously impossible!

If Changqing Prefecture was really in danger and they had no backup plan, they would definitely directly ask Ye Mingsheng to lead his troops to rescue Changqing Prefecture. They would never let Ye Mingsheng make a choice between attacking Shoucheng and rushing to rescue Changqing Prefecture!
So the only explanation now is that Ye Mingsheng's guess was correct. Chen Dechang, Shen Jianzhong and others joined forces to set up a trap for Liaoyang. They deliberately acted very well and were very mediocre. Then they attracted the Liaoyang army to the city of Changqing Prefecture. Although Ye Mingsheng still didn't understand what Chen Dechang, Shen Jianzhong and others were going to do next, they should be confident of turning the tables if nothing unexpected happens.

As for why they wanted him to defend the city, Ye Mingsheng guessed that they wanted him to tie down the 10,000 Liaoyang troops in Shoucheng so that they could carry out the next plan more smoothly and quickly!

When Ye Mingsheng thought about these things during the conversation with Qin Guang, his first reaction was to arrest Qin Guang and torture this confidant of Wang Muzhi to see if he could dig out more specific information from him...
But later, after careful consideration, Ye Mingsheng gave up this idea. First of all, it didn't mean much to him to know how Chen Dechang and Shen Jianzhong turned the tables. It was enough for Ye Mingsheng to know that Chen Dechang and Shen Jianzhong were confident of turning the tables. He could then seek maximum benefits for himself on this basis!
Secondly, judging from the conversation with Qin Guang, although Qin Guang is Wang Muzhi's confidant, he is most likely just an obedient pawn.

The secret of how to deal with the final turnaround of Song Wenhui's tens of thousands of troops should be a top secret known to only a few people in the Zhenwu Army. Considering Chen Dechang's cautious character, if Qin Guang really knew this secret, he would not have sent him to see him.

Therefore, even if Ye Mingsheng captured Qin Guang and tortured him to the point where he was worse off than death, he would most likely not get the answer he wanted, and his relationship with the Zhenwu Army, which was already full of resentment, would become even worse!

Based on this consideration, Ye Mingsheng gave up the idea of ​​taking Qin Guang. As for why Ye Mingsheng agreed to send troops to attack Shoucheng even though he knew that Chen Dechang and Shen Jianzhong were using him, Ye Mingsheng had his own considerations...
First of all, from the perspective of current strength, Song Wenhui is still the strongest in Liaoyang, and his territory is also the largest. It requires Ye Mingsheng and Chen Dechang to work together to deal with him. Only when Song Wenhui is finished and a large power vacuum appears in Liaoyang, will Ye Mingsheng, who has entered a bottleneck period, have the opportunity to continue to expand his strength on a large scale.

Therefore, in order to destroy Song Wenhui, Ye Mingsheng had to pretend to fall into a trap and attack Shoucheng in order to strengthen the confidence of Chen Dechang, Shen Jianzhong and others in implementing their plan. Only by making the water in Liaoyang turbulent, Ye Mingsheng, who was the weakest, had a chance to win in the chaos.

In addition, Ye Mingsheng doesn't mind being used by Chen Dechang, Shen Jianzhong and others. Being used means that you still have value. As long as Ye Mingsheng can see enough benefits, Ye Mingsheng doesn't really care if he is used a few more times.

Ye Mingsheng has already made up his mind. He will not attack the city rashly. He will let Chen Dechang and Shen Jianzhong think that he is attacking the city, and then lie in wait to see how the situation changes and develops, and then decide whether to really attack Shoucheng...

Compared to Gu Sansi, who was more meticulous and thorough in his thinking, He Jingyun, who came from a military background, was undoubtedly more direct. Under Ye Mingsheng's guidance, he realized the key to the matter and began to answer Ye Mingsheng's questions based on his experience.

"Sir, I think given the current situation in Changqing Prefecture, if the Zhenwu Army really has a way to turn the tables and reverse the Liaoyang Army!"

"They must have made some breakthrough within the Liaoyang Army. Otherwise, the Luobi people would have to join the war and invade on a large scale, otherwise the Zhenwu Army would be doomed!" He Jingyun was naturally very confident in the military aspects that he was good at, and his tone of voice was extremely firm.

(End of this chapter)