Chapter 484: Do you have guts? (Thanks to book friend Zhuang Qingyu for the reward!)
Although he wanted to persuade his father to bet on the Fengwu Army as soon as possible, seeing his father's unquestionable expression, Gu Shouting wisely gave up this decision.

"I remember that you had a very good relationship with Zhang Hongxiang?" Gu Zhongshi asked his son after a pause:
Hearing his father ask this, Gu Shouting also understood what he meant and shook his head and said;
"He and I are friends for life and death, but now is not the right time..."

"What do you mean?" Gu Zhongshi asked in confusion;
Right now the Fengwu Army is on the offensive, and is poised to capture Yijing and overthrow the Zhao family regime in one fell swoop. For the sake of his family's safety, Gu Zhongshi wants to wait until the Fengwu Army and the Yan Army decide the winner before deciding who the family will side with. However, Zhang Hongxiang is not a member of the Gu family, and it would be nice if he could use them as pawns to show goodwill to the Fengwu Army.

If the Fengwu Army won, Gu Shouting would have the credit for the matchmaking, and the Gu family would naturally also have a share of the credit. If the Fengwu Army failed, it would be Zhang Hongxiang who did it, and it would have little to do with the Gu family.

Facing his father's question, Gu Shouting explained in detail:

"Yijing has just been surrounded, and there is Zhao Yong's reinforcement outside. Yijing has not fallen into a desperate situation. In addition, Zhang Hongxiang has been with Zhao Jianan all these years, and they get along very well. If we contact Zhang Hongxiang rashly at this time, Zhang Hongxiang may not respond, and there will be a risk of alerting the enemy."

"So I plan to let the Fengwu Army attack Yijing for a few more days, and then contact Zhang Hongxiang when Yijing runs out of ammunition and food! I have known him for many years and I know him well. If the situation really becomes hopeless, he will not be buried with the Zhao family..."

Hearing his son say this, Gu Zhongshi nodded and said:

"Shou Ting, just keep it in mind, but remember to be covert! Don't leave any clues!"

Feeling his father's concern, Gu Shouting said seriously:
"Don't worry, father. I will definitely pay attention to it. But if the truth comes out, for the sake of the family, please kick me out of the house immediately!"

·······················
·······················
Jinzhong
Looking at Huang Wen Ze who walked into the room, Zhao Fuqu asked without waiting for Huang Wen Ze to speak:

"What did Feng Han say?"

Listening to Zhao Fuqu's question, Huang Wen Ze shook his head and said:

"Feng Han's attitude is very firm. He still said that we can leave and he will not pursue us, but he wants us to hand over all the cloud and land we occupy!"

As soon as these words came out, Zhao Fuqu immediately flew into a rage and slammed the table. He picked up the teacup on the table and smashed it hard on the ground, roaring angrily:
"Feng Han, you bastard, how dare you do this?"

As soon as Zhao Fuqu said this, he began to greet Feng Han and his relatives. As he was speaking, Zhao Fuqu turned the conversation to Ye Mingsheng and began to scold Ye Mingsheng.

“Ye Mingsheng, you shameless dog. I let you go out of my way because I saw that you were honest and loyal, but you dared to stab me in the back. Just wait, you son of a bitch. When I return to Youyan, I will ride my cavalry to crush Dongning to the ground, peel off your skin alive, and hang your head on the city gate…”

After focusing his fire on Ye Mingsheng for nearly an incense stick of time, Zhao Fuqu finally felt tired and began to breathe heavily. Then he took the tea from the trembling maid and started to drink it.

Although the Western Expedition had conquered half of Yunbing's territory including Jinzhong, Zhao Fuqu, who had originally planned to swallow Yunbing and eye Guanzhong, was still not satisfied. Although he had encountered some setbacks in Feng Han's previous raid, even Zhao Fuqu himself suffered some minor injuries in the assassination organized by the Supervisory Office.

However, Zhao Fuqu was not defeated by the setback. He still planned to wait until the spring to draw reinforcements from his old nest Youyan to continue attacking Yunbing, until he captured Jinyang and occupied the entire Yunbing territory!

Although Zhao Fuqu's plan was good, things often go beyond people's control. What he never expected was that Ye Mingsheng, who was honest and even a little cowardly in his eyes, had always been coveting his Youyan and planning to enter the pass.

And just when he led the main force of the Yan army and was stuck in a stalemate in Yunbing, Ye Mingsheng captured Jizhou at lightning speed and besieged Yijing, intending to overthrow his rule in Youyan and change the dynasty...
Faced with this situation, although Zhao Fuqu was very angry and wanted to tear Ye Mingsheng, the bastard, to pieces, and drink his blood, dig out his heart and eat his flesh, when the news just came, Zhao Fuqu did not want to retreat back to Youyan. He still fantasized that Zhao Jianan, who was stationed in Yijing, could get out of the predicament and drive the Fengwu Army out of Youyan.

However, seeing that the news coming from Youyan was getting worse day by day and that Yijing was in danger of being lost, Zhao Fuqu had to panic and began to send Huang Wen Ze to negotiate with Feng Han to talk about a ceasefire between the two sides.

Zhao Fuqu had a good idea. If the two sides ceased fighting, he would retain the territory he had conquered in Yun, and then he would join forces with Youyan to drive away Ye Mingsheng. But the problem was that Zhao Fuqu was a traitor, and Feng Han was not stupid either. Everyone knew that Zhao Fuqu's hometown had been taken away by Ye Mingsheng.

You are now anxious to return to your hometown to offer assistance, so you have also made a firm offer. You want Zhao Fuqu to give up the conquered Yunbing territory, otherwise you will continue to fight with Zhao Fuqu...
Faced with Feng Han's persistence, although Zhao Fuqu was worried about the situation in Youyan and wanted to lead his army to fly back, he was unwilling to return the Yunbing territory that he had prepared for decades, spent countless money and food, and suffered tens of thousands of casualties to conquer to Feng Han!
As Zhao Fuqu's adviser, Huang Wen Ze could understand Zhao Fuqu's dilemma. So when negotiating with Feng Han, he hoped to appeal to Feng Han's emotions and reason with him, hoping to encourage both sides to cease fire in the areas currently under their actual control.

However, after many negotiations, Huang Wen Ze realized that Feng Han was adamant and only wanted to take back the Youyan territory that had been taken away from him. He would not listen to anything else. Faced with such a situation, no matter how smart and intelligent Huang Wen Ze was, he was helpless!
Seeing that the situation in Youyan is getting worse day by day, if it continues like this, and the Fengwu Army really captures Yijing, then the daylily will be really over!

Thinking of this, Huang Wen Ze made up his mind, raised his head and advised Zhao Fuqu:
“Marshal, Youyan is our home. Now the Fengwu Army has betrayed us and launched a sneak attack. The situation in Yijing is critical and we must rush back. Now in order to stabilize the morale of the army, we can block the news, but if we delay it any longer, the news will be exposed sooner or later. By then, the morale of the army will be shaken, and our army will really be caught in a dilemma...”

Hearing Huang Wen Ze's words, Zhao Fuqu suddenly looked embarrassed. He, Zhao, had been dominating the world for decades, and he knew the answer to this question well without Huang Wen Ze's reminder. However, how could tens of thousands of troops withdraw just like that? And after the withdrawal, what should be done with the Youyan territory that they had conquered with so much effort? Should they return it all to Feng Han and the others?

After pondering for a moment, Zhao Fuqu said in a deep voice:

"I sent an order to Zhao Yong a few days ago, asking him to send troops north to support Yijing. The 20,000 troops under Zhao Yong are all elite troops of our Yan Army. Zhao Yong is also one of the most courageous generals of our Yan Army. I believe that even if he cannot defeat the Fengwu Army, he can only delay them!"

Huang Wen Ze shook his head and said:

“Marshal, even if you ride the fastest horse from Jinzhong to Zhuo County, it will take at least five days to arrive there even if you travel non-stop all day!” “Moreover, General Zhao Yong and the eldest son have been at loggerheads with each other over the years. Even with your order, General Zhao Yong may not be willing to risk his life to save him…”

Zhao Fuqu frowned and said:

"Mr. Huang, are you worrying too much? Yong'er should have some overall perspective!"

Huang Wen Ze asked pointedly:

"Marshal, I don't doubt that General Zhao Yong has a broad perspective! But what about the Second Young Master? Will the Second Young Master agree to help the First Young Master?"

In response to Huang Wen Ze's question, Zhao Fuqu fell silent, and a hint of worry emerged in his eyes. It was obvious that he knew very well what kind of person his second son was, and he was also very worried about Zhao Jianwen!

Supporting his second son to challenge his eldest son, thereby achieving a balance of power and stabilizing his own position has always been Zhao Fuqu's proud move. However, now it seems that this proud move of his has shaken the power foundation of the Zhao family in Youyan.

After thinking deeply for a while, Zhao Fuqu looked at Huang Wen Ze and asked seriously:

"Mr. Huang, do you have any good solution for this situation?"

Under Zhao Fuqu's gaze, Huang Wen Ze said directly without hesitation:
"Marshal, we should return to Youyan immediately. There can't be any delay..."

Zhao Fuqu, who had been expecting Huang Wen Ze to come up with some clever ideas, was somewhat disappointed by this answer. Seeing this, Huang Wen Ze also analyzed it carefully:

"Sir, we still have nearly 45,000 troops. If we rush back now, we can still change the situation in Youyan! Youyan is our home base. As long as we defend Youyan, even if we lose Jinzhong, we can fight back sooner or later!"

"But if we lose Youyan, even if we hold Jinzhong, we will be like a stray dog ​​without a home, floating on the ground without roots! So now returning to Youyan, repelling the Fengwu Army and driving them back to Liaoyang is the top priority for our army!"

Faced with the earnest persuasion of Huang Wen Ze, who had followed him for decades and made countless contributions to his success today, Zhao Fuqu listened to his advice, but he was still worried about Yunbing. He thought for a while and decided:

"Mr. Huang, I heard from you that tomorrow the army will set out to return to Youyan!"

Hearing what Zhao Fuqu said, Huang Wen Ze was immediately very pleased, but before he could be happy, Zhao Fuqu continued:

“But I will leave 10,000 troops for Lao Jin if he stays in Jinzhong. Feng Han only has about 30,000 to 40,000 troops in total. I believe Lao Jin can defend Jinzhong for me…”

Seeing that Zhao Fuqu still wanted to divide the troops at this time, Huang Wen Ze immediately became anxious and wanted to dissuade him. However, before he could open his mouth, Zhao Fuqu seemed to know what he wanted to say, waved his hand to interrupt him and said in a deep voice:
"Mr. Huang, I've made up my mind, so let's do it this way. Don't say anything more!"

Seeing that Zhao Fuqu had said so much, Huang Wen Ze wanted to dissuade him but he could not say anything. He could only comfort himself that if he really failed, at least he still had a retreat in Jinzhong, so he would not have no way to retreat and die without a burial place.

·······················
·······················
Jizhou City, the general’s residence.

Ye Mingsheng looked at the old man in front of him with great interest. The old man had messy hair and a faint stench all over his body, but his expression was still arrogant. This man was the original owner of this general's mansion, Shen Zhuo, the general of Jizhou of the Yan army of the Great Zhou Dynasty!

After Ye Kui captured Shen Zhuo, Yuan Song originally wanted to send Shen Zhuo back to Dongning to be dealt with by Ye Mingsheng. However, because Ye Mingsheng personally led his troops into the pass, Shen Zhuo stayed in Jizhou, waiting for Ye Mingsheng's handling!
"Humph!"

Feeling Ye Mingsheng's gaze, Shen Zhuo, knowing that he was going to die, was too lazy to beg for mercy from Ye Mingsheng. He immediately closed his eyes and snorted with disdain.

Seeing that Shen Zhuo seemed to be quite strong-willed, Ye Mingsheng wanted to see how strong his bones were. He also instructed Ye Kui beside him:

“Since General Shen is so stubborn and wants to die to preserve his reputation, I, Ye, am willing to help him. I will find the best master to serve General Shen well, and I will make sure that every knife he cuts is used carefully. Let all the people in Jizhou come and see how courageous our General Shen is…”

Listening to Ye Mingsheng's words, Ye Kui immediately nodded and said:
"Yes!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Ye Kui seemed to be taking Shen Zhuo out. Hearing that Ye Mingsheng was actually going to cut him into pieces, Shen Zhuo couldn't help but panic. He quickly opened his cloudy old eyes and said to Ye Mingsheng in a stern tone:
"Mr. Ye, a gentleman can be killed but not humiliated! If you want to kill me, give me a quick death!"

Ye Mingsheng laughed and teased:
"General Shen, you misunderstood my good intentions! Think about it, Guan Sheng was only scraping his bones to heal his wounds. You are no more severe than Guan Sheng in being cut into pieces. I think your old bones are so strong that you can definitely withstand it. You definitely won't even cry out in pain! Let all the people in Jizhou come and see, and spread the word about you!"

After saying this, Ye Mingsheng waved his hand again, and Ye Kui did not hesitate any more and wanted to take Shen Zhuo away to serve him well...

(End of this chapter)