Chapter 42: The Sickness Comes Like a Mountain (Please Collect! Please Vote! Please Invest!)
In the military tent, Pei Zhixiu's soft and boneless hand gently rested on Ye Mingsheng's wrist, examining Ye Mingsheng's body attentively.

Because he had been warned by Shen Jianzhong in a secret letter not to embezzle money or harass the women in the palace, and with Liu Shilin by his side, although Ye Mingsheng controlled the huge Liujing City, in order to avoid suspicion, he still lived in this simple military tent and did not find a comfortable mansion in Liujing City to rest.

Starting from yesterday, the Palace Capital troops that came to provide support arrived at the outskirts of Liujing City one after another. Their number reached several thousand, which was more than Ye Mingsheng had imagined. Fortunately, perhaps due to the lack of unified command, the Palace Capital troops outside the city have only launched small-scale exploratory attacks so far and have not launched a large-scale attack.

Despite this, Ye Mingsheng still did not dare to be careless. He often inspected the war preparations on the city wall, provided support for Chen Yannian's command of operations, and coordinated the resolution of various issues.

One stick of incense ago, it might be because of lack of rest for a long time, or the residual toxins in the body might have taken effect, or there might be other reasons.

Standing on the top of the city wall, Ye Mingsheng suddenly felt weak all over, his heartbeat accelerated, and his chest felt stuffy and painful. It took him a long time to recover.

In order not to affect the morale of the army, Ye Mingsheng did not make a big announcement about his physical condition. He remained calm and returned to his military tent under the protection of his personal soldiers, and then immediately invited Pei Zhixiu over.

Although it was not the first time that Pei Zhixiu took his pulse, Ye Mingsheng was a little surprised that this time Pei Zhixiu took longer than usual to check his pulse. It took nearly three minutes and it was not over yet. This made Ye Mingsheng feel a little uneasy...
Seeing that he was about to clean up the mess left by the original owner and enjoy the treatment of the privileged class, Ye Mingsheng didn't want to start all over again.

"Stick your tongue out."

Just as Ye Mingsheng was daydreaming, Pei Zhixiu finished taking his pulse, but before Ye Mingsheng asked about the result, she made a new request.

When Ye Mingsheng stuck out his tongue obediently, Pei Zhixiu observed for a long time before nodding slightly and whispering to Ye Mingsheng:

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

Upon hearing this, Ye Mingsheng smiled bitterly, shook his head and said, "Then listen carefully first!"

"Your condition this time is not caused by the remaining Broken Heart Powder toxin in your body." Although Pei Zhixiu's voice was still soft, the meaning expressed in her voice was very confident.

"What about the bad news?" Ye Mingsheng nodded and asked:
Pei Zhixiu did not answer Ye Mingsheng's question immediately, but looked at Ye Mingsheng deeply, which made Ye Mingsheng a little flustered, and then he said in a low voice:

"Your condition this time is due to the excessive mental exertion since coming here, coupled with a lack of rest, which has caused the stagnation of Qi and blood."

“General Ye, you are in good health now, so there is no problem for the time being, but if this continues…”

Pei Zhixiu stopped talking at the end of the sermon, but Ye Mingsheng knew exactly what she meant.

After a moment of silence, Ye Mingsheng forced a smile on his face and nodded. "I'll go make some medicine for you and bring it to you later!"

Pei Zhixiu gave instructions and picked up the medicine box and tried to leave the military tent. However, as soon as she turned around, she heard Ye Mingsheng's low voice behind her.

"Miss Pei, can I ask you a question?"

Hearing Ye Mingsheng's question, Pei Zhixiu, who had her back to Ye Mingsheng, smoothed her hair, and said calmly without asking what Ye Mingsheng was asking:
"The Zhou Dynasty has been coveting the palace for a long time. Even if there is no General Ye, there will be General Wang and General Li. There will always be someone who can do this... I don't blame you!"

After saying this, Pei Zhixiu walked out of the military tent with light steps.

Watching Pei Zhixiu leaving, her graceful back still unable to be concealed by the loose military uniform, Ye Mingsheng shook his head helplessly. This woman was so smart that it was a little scary. Before he even opened his mouth, she already understood what he wanted to say.

After drinking the medicine brought by Pei Zhixiu in the evening, Ye Mingsheng felt much better and his strength was restored.

Although Pei Zhixiu had issued a warning, facing the current situation, Ye Mingsheng did not allow himself to rest completely. As soon as his body recovered, he summoned his subordinates again and held a military meeting to understand the latest situation on the front line.

"Reporting to the commander, the imperial troops currently appearing around Liujing are all soldiers sent by nearby prefectures and counties. We still haven't seen any signs of the Japanese-prepared troops from Zhushan Port."

Chen Yannian, who was sitting to the left of Ye Mingsheng, was the first to speak at the meeting.

Looking at Chen Yannian's weather-beaten face full of fatigue, Ye Mingsheng couldn't help but feel a little respect in his heart.

Although he was the commander-in-chief, he was self-aware and did not dare to talk about military affairs on paper. He just helped with some coordination and overall planning work. The main command and deployment of the army were mainly placed on Chen Yannian. Liujing City was able to be captured and was able to defend it until now with only two thousand soldiers. Chen Yannian should be credited with the greatest credit!
"How many palace soldiers are there outside the city now?" Ye Mingsheng asked the question that he was most concerned about.

"About 4,000 to 5,000 people. Although there are many of them, they lack training and heavy weapons for siege. Therefore, Liujing City is not in any danger for the time being. Please rest assured, Commander!" Chen Yannian thought for a moment and said:
Chen Yannian's answer undoubtedly gave Ye Mingsheng a reassurance, relaxing his tense nerves. After nodding slightly, Ye Mingsheng shifted his gaze to Lin Huaiwu and asked:
"How many men do you have?"

Hearing Ye Mingsheng's question, Lin Huaiwu was stunned for a moment, and then said truthfully: "Less than 500 people!"

Seeing that his men were so short of manpower, Ye Mingsheng frowned tightly, and felt embarrassed to withdraw his troops. After thinking for a while, he turned to look at Liu Shilin who was sitting beside him without saying a word and said:

"Brother Liu, can you lend me another fifty of your servants? I want to send them out from the west gate as scouts to contact the reinforcements!"

(End of this chapter)