Chapter 419 Ye Mingsheng’s determination!

As a smart woman, Pei Zhixiu felt that An Miaoyi's visit this time was worth her careful consideration.

First of all, how could a woman like An Miaoyi not realize the reason for her symptoms such as drowsiness and nausea? So before she came to her clinic, she must have consulted a doctor to diagnose her pregnancy.

And this is the problem. Why did An Miaoyi come here to act in an attempt to cover up her pregnancy even though she knew she was pregnant?

In Pei Zhixiu's opinion, An Miaoyi was deliberately testing her to see if she had any intention of competing with her for favor...
After getting a satisfactory answer from here, An Miaoyi changed her attitude and asked her to interact more with her in order to win her over. Pei Zhixiu felt a little resistant to An Miaoyi's actions.

Even though An Miaoyi is now the leader in the backyard of the Ye Mansion without any rivals, Pei Zhixiu is really unwilling to take sides. This is not only because of her personality, but also because she does not want to fight with others.

In addition, Pei Zhixiu also clearly realized that An Miaoyi now has no rivals among Ye Mingsheng's many women because of her family background, but this does not mean that there will be no rivals in the future. As Ye Mingsheng's power grows, more and more people will send women to Ye Mingsheng, and in order to appease people's hearts, Ye Mingsheng will definitely accept these political marriages.

When those daughters from equally powerful families join the Ye family, An Miaoyi's position will undoubtedly be challenged. However, men are fond of new things and dislike old ones. They only see the smiles of the new ones and never hear the cries of the old ones...

So no one can say whether An Miaoyi can laugh to the end!

Thinking of this, Pei Zhixiu had an idea in her mind. Although she was not prepared to accept An Miaoyi's solicitation, she did not want to offend An Miaoyi either. She still had to do some superficial work.

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Ye Mingsheng, who was unaware that the drama of competing for favor in his backyard had quietly begun, asked Huo San to release her after finishing his conversation with Kobayakawa Takahide, and then drove to the General Staff Headquarters.

Huo San introduced the intelligence about the palace capital obtained from Kobayakawa Takahide to He Jingyun and many staff members of the General Staff. The General Staff, which had been planning to enter the pass and launch a surprise attack on Youyan, was very surprised and stunned to hear that someone was also watching them and wanted to be the one to take advantage of them.

Ye Mingsheng, sitting on the armchair, slowly savored the Longjing tea shipped from Jiangnan, and did not rush to ask the staff for their opinions. After all, faced with such a sudden event, the staff members of the staff also needed time to think.

He Jingyun secretly glanced at Ye Mingsheng who was sitting in his seat with a calm expression. Although Ye Mingsheng had only introduced the situation to them and did not make any other instructions, having followed Ye Mingsheng for a long time, he could more or less taste Ye Mingsheng's intention of taking the initiative...

However, it is easy to say that taking the initiative but it is not so easy to do. It is already late October and snowing outside. The Fengwu Army has no more than a month to attack the palace!
Once the war lasts for more than a month, the Fengwu Army will need to prepare to spend the winter in the palace. In that case, the war is likely to turn into a war of attrition!

In the past few months, under Ye Mingsheng's hard work and correct leadership, Liaoyang, which was originally in tatters, has finally recovered some of its vitality. Even the problematic finances have improved and are no longer such a headache!

But this does not mean that Liaoyang has the capital to fight a war of attrition. Once the war lasts too long and the remnants of Gongdu are not quickly defeated, the power of the aristocratic families that was originally suppressed by Ye Mingsheng with an iron fist may rise up, and Liaoyang, which was gradually getting on the right track, may be in turmoil again...
Realizing this, He Jingyun couldn't help but frown. As Ye Mingsheng rose rapidly, his status in Liaoyang also rose. He, who had been frustrated before, was able to fully display his talents on the platform of Fengwu Army.

At present, the Fengwu Army is like a latent dragon in the abyss, possessing infinite possibilities. As the ancients said, weapons are dangerous tools and should only be used when necessary. He Jingyun does not want Ye Mingsheng to be so rash and make hasty decisions on military action.

Although he wanted to stop Ye Mingsheng's idea, he was afraid of Ye Mingsheng's power. He Jingyun did not intend to speak out his advice directly and openly oppose Ye Mingsheng in front of so many people. He understood that when giving advice, one must use appropriate methods and ways!

After giving everyone about half an incense stick of time, and seeing that everyone had almost thought it through and he had almost finished his tea, Ye Mingsheng put down his teacup, looked around at everyone and said:
"Please share your thoughts on this matter!"

As soon as Ye Mingsheng finished speaking, a staff officer named Zhang Ran stood up and said loudly:
"I think that since our army has already known the intentions of Wang Kangxin, the thief, we should increase the number of troops in Posuo Prefecture, Fengzhou and the places near Gongdu to be prepared!"

Hearing this, Ye Mingsheng, who was sitting upright in the chair, was a little disappointed. This Zhang Ran was indeed a mediocre person. Anyone with a brain could have thought of his method. Although disappointed, Ye Mingsheng did not scold him. He just waved his hand and asked Zhang Ran to stand back in the team.

In order to train these young staff officers, so that they would not be submissive but dare to speak out and have different ideas and opinions, Ye Mingsheng would choose to be tolerant even if he heard some mediocre plans or ideas he did not like in such meetings...
Seeing Ye Mingsheng's tolerance towards Zhang Ran, He Jingyun, who was worrying about how to come up with a suitable solution and explaining his opinions to Ye Mingsheng, suddenly had an idea in his mind. He lowered his head and pretended to cough, and took the opportunity to give a look to a young staff officer behind him.

This young staff officer is named Feng Cheng. He is very talented and thinks very comprehensively. He is highly valued by He Jingyun. The two of them have the same logic and ideas when looking at problems. Therefore, He Jingyun believes that at this time, Feng Cheng will definitely be able to understand his eyes.

He is the chief of staff and the second most important figure in the Fengwu Army after Ye Mingsheng. Some words spoken by him may mean something different to Ye Mingsheng, so he has to be extremely careful. Ye Mingsheng is tolerant of young people, and even if what they say does not suit his wishes, Ye Mingsheng will not do anything. So it is most appropriate for Feng Cheng to say this!

As He Jingyun had expected, Feng Cheng immediately understood what he meant. He had always wanted to speak his mind, so he stood up and said, with his hands clasped, without hesitation:
"Reporting to the commander-in-chief, Wang Kangxin, Shen Jianzhong and others in Gongdu are stubborn and want to plot against Liaoyang. Our army should sweep away all their holes and behead them all for public display. However, it is already the end of October, the weather is getting colder, and Liaoyang has just been pacified. Our army has just completed its reorganization not long ago, and the combat effectiveness of each unit is still being integrated. Therefore, I suggest that the expedition to Gongdu can be delayed..."

Hearing this man's words, Ye Mingsheng looked at him with interest and then said:
"Your name is Feng Cheng, right?"

Seeing that Ye Mingsheng recognized him, Feng Cheng was also a little excited. He bowed again and said:
"Yes! I am Feng Cheng!"

Ye Mingsheng nodded and continued:
"Since you think we should slow down a bit, then tell me more about it. When should our army send troops to the palace?"

Feng Cheng paused for a moment in response to Ye Mingsheng's question, but after thinking for a while he said:
"I think our army should march to Gongdu after the beginning of next spring!" "What about the dispatch to Youyan? What if we miss the opportunity to fight because of the dispatch to Gongdu?" Ye Mingsheng asked:
Facing Ye Mingsheng's questioning, Feng Cheng looked at each other in bewilderment, not knowing how to answer Ye Mingsheng's question. Seeing this, Ye Mingsheng looked around at everyone present, and seeing that no one else had any objections, Ye Mingsheng shook his head and ordered:

"Chief of Staff He, please stay for a moment. Everyone else, please go out..."

The many staff officers who received the order all retreated from the room and closed the door.

Glancing at He Jingyun, Ye Mingsheng asked calmly:
"You don't want to send troops to the palace now?"

He Jingyun's heart tightened, knowing that although his little action just now was covert, it still did not escape Ye Mingsheng's eyes.

Although he subconsciously wanted to make some excuses, but feeling Ye Mingsheng's gaze that seemed to be able to see straight into people's hearts, He Jingyun chose to tell the truth and nodded and said:
"Yes, sir! It's too hasty to send troops now. Winter is coming soon. Our army only has one month at most. The total strength of Wang Kangxin's new army in Gongdu is close to 50,000. It will be very difficult to defeat them in such a short time!"

After saying this, He Jingyun looked at Ye Mingsheng with some trepidation, not knowing whether his words would anger Ye Mingsheng. However, after hearing what He Jingyun said, Ye Mingsheng did not express anything, but continued:
"So what do you think?"

Seeing that Ye Mingsheng was not angry, He Jingyun said with relief:
"I think that our army is stationed in Fengzhou and Posuo Prefecture and building fortifications. Although this strategy is mediocre, it is very safe for our army. Most of the new troops in the palace under Wang Kangxin's command are from the palace, and their combat effectiveness is worrying."

"Although the enemy is numerous, our army only needs a small division with firearms and fortifications to keep the enemy out of the country. This will not delay the main force of our army from entering the country..."

After listening to He Jingyun's words, Ye Mingsheng smiled and asked:
"General He, how many troops do you plan to deploy in Fengzhou and Posuo Prefecture?"

Facing Ye Mingsheng's questioning, the mature He Jingyun was obviously prepared for this question and said directly:
"General Ye Tie's Fifth Division of the Reserve Force is cooperating with some local militias and rural militias in Fengzhou and Posuo Prefecture. Even if Shen Jianzhong calls on the Khitans to help again, our army is more than capable of dealing with it!"

"As for the defense of the Dongning hinterland, our army can draw one or two battalions from their troops to take charge of it. This will not have much impact on entering the pass!"

Seeing that He Jingyun had already thought of the next step, Ye Mingsheng looked at him with a half-smile and asked:

"General He, it seems that you have made some preparations, but what if the new army of Gongdu does not come by land, but by sea?"

"From Kangshan Port in Gongdu to the coastal area of ​​Lelang Prefecture, it only takes five to seven days by sea!"

He Jingyun was really shocked when Ye Mingsheng said this. As a land force general who had never fought in a naval battle, he had never thought about things at sea. However, when he thought about it carefully, what Ye Mingsheng said was indeed a problem!

After thinking for a while, He Jingyun replied:
"Sir, the sea is very rough and easily affected by the weather. Will Wang Kangxin and Shen Jianzhong take the risk?"

Ye Mingsheng smiled and shook his head and said:

"I'm giving you a piece of advice. Never underestimate Shen Jianzhong! Otherwise, you won't even know how you died..."

"And most importantly, regardless of whether Wang Kangxin and his men will take the sea route, we are now aware of the risk. Should we be prepared for any eventuality? Should we deploy troops in Lelang Prefecture?

"Otherwise, if Wang Kangxin, Shen Jianzhong and the others really do this, they will bypass our defense lines in Fengzhou and Posuo Prefecture where we have deployed heavy troops, and go straight into the hinterland where our troops are weak, threatening the safety of Dongning City. In this way, our army is at risk of a complete collapse!"

"First, you should withdraw one or two battalions from the main force entering the pass to be responsible for the defense of Dongning City. Lelang Prefecture has such a long coastline. General He, how many troops do you plan to deploy for defense?"

He Jingyun frowned at Ye Mingsheng's words and thought hard about possible countermeasures. Seeing him like this, Ye Mingsheng continued:

"The Coordination Office has already thwarted several attempts by the remnants of the Black Dragon Society and the Supervisory Department to kidnap workers from the Artisan Camp a few days ago. According to the intelligence seized, we already know that Shen Jianzhong and his men have already copied the Po Lu Gun in the palace and are trying to mass-produce it!"

"Give them another winter to prepare. They will be more prepared and produce more firearms. It will be difficult for our army to deal with them. Therefore, our army must cut the Gordian knot now. The sooner it is resolved, the easier it will be. If it is delayed, it will always be a disaster!"

Ye Mingsheng's expression was very firm when he said this. He understood what He Jingyun said. The fundamental reason why he insisted on solving the problem of Gongdu as soon as possible was because entering the pass to attack Youyan was the top priority at the moment, and there must be no delay or impact.
The reason why he made the three clans in Liaoyang make such a big concession was largely because he had painted a big pie for them and transferred the internal conflicts to the outside. If they missed the opportunity to enter the pass, or the troops entering the pass were not enough, resulting in failure to successfully capture Youyan, then the internal conflicts that Ye Mingsheng had suppressed with an iron fist would erupt again...

(End of this chapter)