Chapter 398 Do You Really Think He Knows Nothing?
Ye Mingsheng was a little surprised that Zhao Fuqu was interested in the technology of using his Weiyuan cannon to destroy the enemy's cannon, but after thinking about it carefully, it seemed reasonable.

The news sent to Ye Mingsheng by the Coordination Office indicated that although Youyan was still arguing over whether to attack westwards to seize Jinyang and Bingzhou, or to go south to the Central Plains to fight for Hebei, Henan, and Yujing, one thing was certain...

That is, Zhao Fuqu's Yan army has united and decided to send troops to fight for the world. If they go west, they will have to face Shangguan Hongyuan's subordinate, Jinyang General Feng Han and his 40,000 elite troops. If they want to go south to seize Yujing, they will encounter Yuzhou Commander-in-Chief Gao Zongchang, who is also a vassal state. Gao Zongchang has occupied Yujing for many years and has a strong army of 100,000!
Therefore, it would be difficult for Zhao Fuqu to advance west to Jinyang or south to the Central Plains. Although Feng Han is relatively easier to deal with with only 40,000 soldiers and horses, he has the support of Shangguan Hongyuan behind him. If you really beat Feng Han badly, it will be easy to attract the main force of Shangguan Hongyuan's imperial guards.

In such a situation, it is very normal for Zhao Fuqu, who wants to expand his territory, to enhance his firearms technology!

Although the situation was normal, Ye Mingsheng had some concerns about selling things to Zhao Fuqu. After all, he, Ye, was just taking a temporary rest and recuperation now. It wouldn't be long before he would lead his troops into the pass and compete for the Central Plains.

And his tens of thousands of troops can only enter the pass by land, that is, the Youyan route. Therefore, Zhao Fuqu is the first big stone that Ye needs to kick over to enter the pass. The friendly relationship between him and Zhao Fuqu is only temporary. It is inevitable that the two families will fight.

The ancients said that we should make friends with those far away and attack those near. The imperial court on its southern tour was in Sichuan and Shu, 18,000 miles away from Liaoyang. Ye Mingsheng could regard selling firearms technology to them as an ordinary arms trade. However, selling firearms technology to Zhao Fuqu, his potential enemy, could be considered as aiding the enemy.

Although Ye Mingsheng had confidence in his own camp of craftsmen, believing that they could develop the flintlock rifle before he entered the Pass, thereby improving the combat effectiveness of his Fengwu Army and creating a generational advantage over the matchlock rifle.

However, whether Zhao Fuqu mastered the Weiyuan gun or the Polu gun, it would be a significant improvement to Zhao Fuqu's existing firearms equipment. This would also invisibly increase the pressure on Ye Mingsheng in his subsequent entry into the pass.

As if seeing Ye Mingsheng's hesitation, Gu Sansi asked Ye Mingsheng tentatively:

"Sir, I heard that the Artisan Camp seems to be secretly developing a new, more powerful musket..."

Ye Mingsheng was a little surprised that Gu Sansi knew about this, but he did not hide anything from his strategist. He nodded and said very frankly:

"The news you heard is correct. The Artisan Battalion is developing a firearm called a flintlock rifle. Compared to the Weiyuan gun and the Polu gun, the flintlock rifle is easier to operate, has a faster rate of fire, is more accurate, and is much safer. The research and development process is going very smoothly!"

Hearing what Ye Mingsheng said, a gleam of light immediately flashed in Gu Sansi's eyes, and he realized the power of the flintlock rifle.

After thinking for a while, Gu Sansi whispered to Ye Mingsheng:
"I have a plan for entering the Pass and I'd like to share it with you, sir!"

Ye Mingsheng was looking forward to hearing this and said:

"Mr. Gu, if you have any good ideas, please tell me now. I am all ears!"

“Sir, Zhao Fuqu’s Yan army has geographical advantages in Jizhou and Dai County. As long as we station a group of elite soldiers there, it will pose a major threat to our army’s entry into the country. If our army wants to enter the country smoothly, the enemy’s troops in these places should be as few as possible…”

"Zhao Fuqu is almost sixty years old now, and his health is not good after years of fighting. He has been eager to expand his territory and become an emperor. Now he has finally waited for the opportunity. The reason why he has not taken action yet is that on the one hand, he has not decided whether to go west or south, and on the other hand, he is worried that we in Liaoyang will stab him in the back!"

"Zhao Fuqu has been operating in Youyan for many years. His Yan army has been fighting against the Luobei people and suppressing peasant uprisings all year round. It can be considered a strong force. If Zhao Fuqu feels threatened by us, he will leave a large number of troops in Jizhou even if he goes to war!"

“Therefore, in my opinion, if our army wants to enter the pass smoothly, we must show weakness and goodwill to Zhao Fuqu, so that Zhao Fuqu will feel that we are not a threat. He can boldly withdraw troops from Jizhou to go to the expedition, and then our army will take this opportunity to stab him in the back...”

After Gu Sansi finished speaking, Ye Mingsheng fell into deep thought again. Although Gu Sansi did not mention a word about firearms technology, Ye Mingsheng had completely understood his idea. The specific operation of Gu Sansi's plan should be to sell the firearms technology of the Weiyuan Cannon and the Po Lu Cannon to Zhao Fuqu, in order to show goodwill and weakness to Zhao Fuqu, so as to make this old guy relax his vigilance and become careless!

After careful consideration, Ye Mingsheng felt that Gu Sansi's plan was a good idea. Although the Weiyuan Cannon and the Po Lu Cannon would enhance Zhao Fuqu's strength, it would be a good deal if Zhao Fuqu could reduce the number of troops in the Jizhou Prefecture area.

Moreover, we are also going to reduce our military by nearly half, which can also be used to show weakness to the enemy. Thinking of this, Ye Mingsheng, who had made up his mind, said to Gu Sansi:
"How confident are you of this plan, sir?"

"If I just sell the Weiyuan Gun's technology to destroy the enemy, I am only half sure. If I cooperate with the adults' disarmament and bring a large sum of money to lobby Zhao Fuqu's trusted advisors, I am confident that I have at least 70% chance of making Zhao Fuqu fall into the trap!" Gu Sansi said confidently:

Gu Sansi's confident look also gave Ye Mingsheng a lot of confidence. Without saying much, Ye Mingsheng wrote a note to Gu Sansi on the spot and said:
"I'll leave the firearms technology to you, sir. Liaoyang's finances are in a difficult situation, so I can only take 3,000 taels of silver at most, which I'll give to you as lobbying funds!"

Looking at the note handed over by Ye Mingsheng, Gu Sansi waved his hand and said with a smile:

"I don't need a single ounce of silver from you! Hu Jian is a local rich man. In addition to making enough money from him, I can also make tens of thousands of ounces of silver from him to subsidize your finances!"

Seeing that Gu Sansi was so confident, Ye Mingsheng did not force the money on him, but encouraged him by saying:

"Then you can give him a good beating. If you make an extra ounce of silver, the people of Liaoyang will be better off!"

"Don't worry, sir, leave this matter to me!" Gu Sansi bowed his hands and said seriously:
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Outside the city of Dongning, on a river beach of Xiaohun River.

Kobayakawa Takahide and the woman in white met again. After glancing at Kobayakawa Takahide's delicate and charming face, a serious expression rarely appeared on her face. The woman in white said lightly:

"What happened that made you so anxious to ask me out?"

Upon hearing this, Kobayakawa Takahide did not hide anything and went straight to the point:

"According to reliable information from the Black Dragon Society, Shen Jianzhong has now appeared in Gongdu..." Upon hearing this news, the woman in white frowned slightly and said coldly:
"What does this have to do with me?"

"You may not be interested in my story, but your lover will definitely be very interested. Don't you want to hear the news for him..." Kobayakawa Takahide's beautiful eyes turned, and he said temptingly:

"No! Shen Jianzhong has become a lost dog now. It's only a matter of time before he is destroyed. Why should I meddle in his affairs?" After the woman in white finished speaking, she looked towards the river and continued:

"If this is all you want to say, then I'm going back!"

Feeling the coldness in the bones of the woman in white, Kobayakawa Takahide sighed slightly and said in a somewhat aggrieved manner:

"Sister, even if you feel at ease with your lover, you should also think about me, your sister. You understand without me telling you that Shen Jianzhong has appeared in Gongdu. He must be colluding with that old man Sato Kaga. If the two of them join forces, it will be difficult for me, your sister. Can you really bear to watch me being bullied by those two old men?" As he spoke, Kobayakawa Takahide looked like he was about to cry.

It has to be said that with Kobayakawa Takahide's charm, if a man was in such a position at this moment, he would have been completely fascinated by Kobayakawa Takahide and would not know his own last name. He would have wanted to do whatever he wanted to this Japanese young woman and give his heart and soul to her...

But unfortunately, in front of the woman in white, all of Kobayakawa Takahide's flirting was like winking at a blind man.

"Why do you need my help? Haven't you already met Li Xuanchang and the others under the introduction of Quan Rongcheng?" The woman in white said calmly:

Kobayakawa Takahide was genuinely shocked when he heard this. In order to prevent sabotage by the Black Dragon Society, both parties had kept this matter extremely secret. Did Mori Hui know about this?
Thinking of this, Kobayakawa Takahide hesitated for a moment, but still said with some doubt:
“Mori Hui, how did you…?”

“I didn’t know it just now, but now I know it!”

Before Kobayakawa Takahide finished speaking, the woman in white had already anticipated what she was going to say, so she continued

Realizing that she had been tricked by Kobayakawa Takahide, she gritted her teeth in anger and said unyieldingly:
"Among all your suitors, Quan Rongcheng is the youngest and most handsome. His character and background are also excellent. What's most rare is that he is still devoted to you. I am really jealous of him. If you don't mind, I would like to invite him to be my lover!"

In response to Kobayakawa Takahide's provocation, the woman in white said without any concern:
"I am just a woman now. No matter how good other men are, what does it have to do with me?"

Seeing her sister being so indifferent, Kobayakawa Ryuhide was furious, but her strong desire to win made her pretend to be nothing and said with a smile:

"It's really not worth it for Quan Rongcheng to live with you, Mori Hui. But I heard that your lover likes married women the most and is having an affair with a widow outside. What do you think of your sister..."

Before Kobayakawa Takahide could finish his words, he felt a chill on his neck, a gust of wind passed by, and then the icy voice of the woman in white appeared in his ears.

"I promised my mother not to kill you, but if you seek death yourself, you can't blame me!"

Feeling the undisguised murderous intent in the words of the woman in white, Kobayakawa Takahide's plump body shuddered subconsciously, but she was happy in her heart. She finally found the weakness of her half-sister again.

Back then, the family used her mother to make this girl, who had the highest martial arts talent in the family in the past hundred years, the sharpest sword in the family's hands. But when her mother passed away, the sword no longer had a scabbard and was out of the family's control.

Now she finally found the new scabbard, but this new scabbard seemed to be more difficult to deal with than Mori Hui...

Thinking of this, Kobayakawa Takahide looked at his sister across from him and said:
"Mori Hui, let's make a deal! Before Shen Jianzhong went to Gongdu, he asked Liu Baoshan to take action. When you first came to Gongdu, you fought with Liu Baoshan and knew how powerful he was. I will help you get rid of him this time. How about you give me the list in your hand!"

"After looking for me so many times, you finally showed your true colors!" The woman in white, Akiyama Mori Hui, heard this and said leisurely:
"Of course! The list in your hand, Mori Hui, is my only hope for a comeback, otherwise I wouldn't be pestering you like this!" Kobayakawa Takahide said with a wry smile:

Akiyama Mori Hui shook her head and said, "Go back, I won't give you the list!"

After Akiyama Morie finished speaking, she did not bother with Kobayakawa Takahide any further and walked away.

Looking at the swaying back of Akiyama Morie as she left, Kobayakawa Takahide, feeling heavy-hearted, directly took out his last trump card and said:
"Mori Hui, do you know where Shen Jianzhong's first stop was when he arrived in Gongdu?"

"Suishan!"

As soon as these words came out, Akiyama Morie stopped immediately. Seeing this, Kobayakawa Takahide, who saw that there was a chance, immediately struck while the iron was hot and said:

"Mori Hui, give me the list and I'll help you get rid of Shen Jianzhong! Men are all heartless. If Shen Jianzhong really finds out something, do you think he will keep you?"

After saying this, Kobayakawa Takahide looked at Akiyama Morie with full confidence. She believed that her sister would definitely submit. However, under her confident gaze, a scene that surprised her greatly appeared. Akiyama Morie, who had stopped, walked away again, leaving only a calm voice echoing in the air.

"Do you really think he knows nothing?"

(End of this chapter)