Chapter 485: Rough but Subtle! (Thanks to the book friend 31947 for the reward!)
Although he still felt a little embarrassed and wanted to continue fighting with Ye Mingsheng, but when he thought of the horror and pain of being cut into pieces, Shen Zhuo's body was honest and whispered:
"Do not kill me···············"

Ye Mingsheng remained calm in response to Shen Zhuo's plea for mercy and continued to sip tea from the cup. He knew that this old man was not that tough.

Seeing Ye Mingsheng pretending not to hear, Shen Zhuo knew that he was deliberately humiliating him. Although he was so ashamed and angry that he wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into, his instinct for survival still prevailed at this moment, and he shouted with all his strength:
"Sir, I was wrong! Don't kill me!"

"Please be magnanimous and treat me like a fart!"

Hearing Shen Zhuo's shameless words, Ye Mingsheng smiled and shook his head, but also waved his hand, signaling Ye Kui to stop.

As Ye Kui stopped walking, Shen Zhuo, who was being dragged to the ground, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Feeling Ye Mingsheng's gaze, he dared not pretend anymore. He lowered his head and dared not look Ye Mingsheng in the eye, pretending to be sincere and said:

"I am an old man who has no eyes to recognize a great man. I have offended the commander-in-chief many times. I really deserve death. However, everything I did was instructed by the Zhao family, not what I wanted. I hope the commander-in-chief can see clearly and spare my life..."

Listening to Shen Zhuo putting all the blame on the Zhao family in order to save his life, Ye Mingsheng couldn't help but laugh. He felt that the most despicable man is invincible in the world. Shen Zhuo, this old man, is really thick-skinned!
Although Ye Mingsheng ordered to arrest Shen Zhuo, he didn't care too much about him. There were so many people in the world who cursed him, Ye Mingsheng. Could he catch and kill them all?
Having said that, since Shen Zhuo has fallen into his hands, Ye Mingsheng will naturally not let him go so easily!

Putting the teacup on the table, Ye Mingsheng said calmly:
"God is merciful and I don't want to commit more murders. Shen Zhuo, if you sincerely repent and reform yourself, I can give you a chance. It depends on whether you can grasp it!"

Although he didn't know what Ye Mingsheng wanted him to do, when he heard that he might survive, Shen Zhuo nodded and said, "I hope you can save your life."
"It is my honor to serve you, Lord Commander!"

Seeing this, Ye Mingsheng looked at him deeply and said in a deep voice:
“As the general of the Yan Army in Jizhou, you have fought in the Yan Army for decades and are a veteran of the Yan Army. You should be very clear about the dirty laundry of the Yan Army and the Zhao family…”

Hearing Ye Mingsheng say this, Shen Zhuo's face turned pale immediately. He knew what Ye Mingsheng wanted him to do. Subconsciously, he wanted to tell Ye Mingsheng that he knew nothing. However, just as he was about to open his mouth, he met Ye Mingsheng's eyes. Feeling Ye Mingsheng's sharp eyes like an eagle, Shen Zhuo understood that if he dared to say no at this time, he would still end up being cut into pieces!
But if he said it now, it would be tantamount to cutting himself off from the Yan army. He was still hoping that the Yan army could defeat Ye Mingsheng and rescue him from this sea of ​​suffering!

After hesitating for a while, Shen Zhuo tremblingly bowed to Ye Mingsheng and said:
"General, my whole family is still in the hands of the Yan army. If I tell them, they will all be dead. I hope you can have mercy on me!"

After saying that, Shen Zhuo kowtowed to Ye Mingsheng several times with sincerity, pretending to be very serious...

Seeing this, Ye Mingsheng said leisurely:

"Shen Zhuo, your hometown is Shenwang Town in Yijing, right?"

Listening to Ye Mingsheng's words, Shen Zhuo was a little surprised and didn't know why Ye Mingsheng suddenly asked this. His hometown was in Shenwang Town, fifty miles away from Yijing. It is said that Shenwang Town was not called Shenwang Town more than ten years ago but Wangshen Town. As the name suggests, the common people in this town generally have the surname Shen or Wang. Shen Zhuo grew up here.

Ever since Shen Zhuo became rich with Zhao Fuqu, he had some power in his hands and started to show off. He began to think that the name of his hometown was not good. Why did their surname Shen come after the surname Wang? So he used his power to forcibly change Wangshen Town to Shenwang Town. This name change caused a lot of controversy in the local area and caused a very bad impact, but it was all suppressed by Shen Zhuo with his power...
Seeing that Shen Zhuo didn't say anything, Ye Mingsheng didn't care and continued:

"Our army has surrounded Yijing and your family members have been invited over from Shenwang Town. You will be able to see them in a few days, Shen Zhuo, so don't worry about them!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Zhuo was speechless. He knew that Ye Mingsheng had him in his arms. If he refused to obey, not only would he be cut into pieces, but his family would also suffer!
Thinking of this, Shen Zhuo sighed inwardly. Although he was unwilling in his heart, he could only accept his fate and said helplessly:

"My Lord, I will tell you everything I know!"

"Very good, take him down!" Ye Mingsheng once again instructed Ye Kui beside him:

Although the confrontation with the Yan army at the military level was the most important aspect of this entry into the pass, Ye Mingsheng was very clear about the importance of public opinion, so he used public opinion to attack the Zhao family, and used Shen Zhuo's mouth to expose all the bad things that the Zhao family and the Yan army's high-level officials did, such as bullying men and women and plundering the people's wealth...
This will damage the image of the Yan army in Youyan, arouse the anger of the people, and undermine their war potential!
After Shen Zhuo was taken away by Ye Kui, Qi Dechao, who was standing aside, looked at Ye Mingsheng and seemed to be hesitant to speak. Seeing Qi Dechao's look, Ye Mingsheng nodded. After getting Ye Mingsheng's permission, Qi Dechao asked:

"Sir, Shen Zhuo is such a despicable person who showed disrespect to you. During his time in Jizhou, he raped women for his own selfish desires and killed people for money, which caused great resentment among the people of Jizhou. This time, when the people of Jizhou heard that he was captured by our Fengwu Army, they all applauded and sent rice, flour, melons and fruits to our soldiers... Sir, do you really want to spare his life?"

During this period, Qi Dechao had been following Ye Mingsheng, because Ye Mingsheng had always wanted to train him to be his right-hand man, so he had been cultivating his independent thinking ability. Under Ye Mingsheng's words and deeds, Qi Dechao also deeply understood the truth that water can carry a boat but can also overturn it. He always kept the people in his heart, thinking about what the people thought and worrying about what the people worried about.

Ye Mingsheng said calmly:

"A real man born in heaven and earth should keep his word. Besides, I am the governor of Liaoyang, so I cannot break my promise and gain wealth!"

Listening to Ye Mingsheng's words, Qi Dechao nodded obediently, but the light in his eyes was a little dim. Ye Mingsheng glanced at him, then changed the subject and said with a smile:

"I only said that I could spare his life. I didn't promise anything else. If what he did can really satisfy me, it's not impossible to spare his life, but I can escape the death penalty, but I can't escape the punishment of a crime alive!"

"I'm going to build a public toilet in Jizhou, so let Shen Zhuo go there to sweep the toilet. As for his family, they will also follow Shen Zhuo's lead and be forced to sweep the toilet. If there are extra people, they can come out and sweep the streets! They have been oppressing the people of Jizhou for many years, and it's time for them to atone for what they have done!"

Upon hearing Ye Mingsheng's instructions, Qi Dechao's expression suddenly showed a hint of joy and he bowed and praised:
"It is really gratifying that you have eliminated harm for the people. The people will surely applaud and feel deeply grateful to you!"

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In Youyan Zhuo County, in Zhao Yong's general's mansion, his advisor Xu Zhe was reading a letter with emotion and nodding head.

"The situation in Yijing is critical, the enemy's attack is fierce, and our army has suffered heavy casualties... What happened in the past was all my fault. Jian'an is willing to kowtow to you and admit my mistake to atone for my sins! I hope you can put aside the past grudges, save Yijing from the dire straits, and save our Zhao family from the crisis! Jian'an sheds tears and pays homage to my brother from afar!"

After reading the letter, Xu Zhe put it down and looked at a tall, ferocious-looking middle-aged man sitting in the main seat. This man was Zhao Fuqu's nephew, the number one general in the Yan army, and the current general of Zhuo County, Zhao Yong!

"Sir, this is all Zhao Jianan wrote in his letter!" Although Zhao Yong was very brave in marching and fighting as his name suggested, he had a low level of education and was illiterate because he only attended a private school for a few days. Therefore, all the letters and official documents needed Xu Zhe to read to him before he could understand their meaning.

Listening to Xu Zhe's words, Zhao Yong sneered and said with disdain:
"Has Zhao Jianan come to this day?"

“In the words of an educated person, why are you waking up here so early…”

"If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have done it in the first place!" Master Xu Zhe reminded in a low voice:

Zhao Yong slapped his thigh and said loudly:
"Yes, if I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have done it in the first place!"

"Zhao Jianan was so awesome back then. I personally brought gifts to beg for mercy, but he didn't even give me the slightest bit of face. He even told me that the emperor is guilty of the same crime as the common people, and I was rejected by him. He chopped off Xiaowu and Lao Li's heads for a few common people. Now that the Fengwu Army has captured Yijing, he still remembers me? He keeps calling me "brother". Don't you think he's a jerk?"

"Fuck him, who cares! I won't save him!"

The more Zhao Yong spoke, the more excited he became, his words were filled with the pleasure of revenge. Master Xu Zhe did not say a word, just stood aside and watched Zhao Yong vent quietly.

After venting for a while, Zhao Yong instructed the guard beside him:

"Bring Xue Kun to me."

"Yes!"

After a cup of tea, a sturdy young man walked up to Zhao Yong, bowed and said:
"General, you're looking for me?"

Zhao Yong didn't waste any words and asked directly:
"What is the current situation in Guangzong County?"

Facing Zhao Yong's question, Xue Kun hesitated for a moment and said:
"A battalion of the Fengwu Army has already entered Guangzong County. In addition, there are up to 5,000 Fengwu Army cavalrymen roaming around the periphery of Guangzong County..."

Zhao Yong slapped his head and said:
"Damn it, this bastard Ye Mingsheng really thinks highly of me, Zhao Yong, and sent so many people to keep an eye on me!"

After saying this, Zhao Yong asked again:
"Is there any news from Yijing now?"

"The 50,000-man Fengwu Army is fiercely attacking Yijing City. The Fengwu Army's firearms are powerful and the soldiers defending the city have suffered heavy casualties!" Xue Kun introduced in a deep voice:

After hearing this answer, Zhao Yong narrowed his eyes and pondered. Although he had never been to school and had a low level of cultural education, he had been through wind and rain, swords and sabers, and mountains of corpses and seas of blood over the years. Zhao Yong was not a brainless idiot. If he was really brainless, he would have probably buried all his 100 pounds in some mass grave long ago!
Although he said just now that he would not save Zhao Jianan, it was just empty talk. Although he had a huge conflict with Zhao Jianan, Zhao Yong was also surnamed Zhao after all, and he would be finished if the Zhao family fell.

What's more, Zhao Yong has already received the order from Zhao Fuqu. Zhao Yong has always regarded Zhao Fuqu as his father. Now that Zhao Fuqu has spoken, let alone rushing to help Yijing, even if there are mountains of swords and seas of fire ahead, Zhao Jianan dares to bite the bullet and rush in...

In fact, as early as when he first knew that the Fengwu Army was launching a surprise attack, Zhao Yong had already begun to assemble troops to urgently expand the army. The reason why he did not send troops earlier was entirely because assembling troops and recruiting young and strong people was not something that could be accomplished easily. It took time for the army to gather from all the defenses!

Now, after urgently recruiting 10,000 young and strong men, Zhao Yong has gathered an army of more than 30,000 people in Zhuo County, ready to march to Yijing at any time!

He turned to look at Master Xu Zhe and Zhao Yong and asked:
"Master, do you have any ideas?"

Facing Zhao Yong's question, Xu Zhe's eyes flashed with a gleam of light and he said calmly:

"Don't go through Guangzong County, go around from Liucheng Township!"

"Master, your brain is really good. It's exactly what I thought!" Zhao Yong continued excitedly:

"Although the Fengwu Army was able to fight until now because of the surprise attack, their combat power seems to be quite good. They don't look like some useless silver spears or candlesticks!"

“Although it takes two or three days longer to go through Liucheng Township, we can avoid the Fengwu Army. If we go through Guangzong County and confront the Fengwu Army head-on, I don’t know how long it will take…”

As soon as Zhao Yong finished speaking, he instructed Xue Kun:
"Pass the order down, five thousand cavalrymen, each with two horses, lightly armed and with a few followers, are to bypass Liucheng Township and support Yijing. They must arrive in Yijing within five days. Anyone who disobeys the order will be executed!"

"As ordered!"

Xue Kun nodded and left.

After Xue Kun left, Xu Zhe said to Zhao Yong:

"Sir, there's news from the Second Young Master. He has a very interesting suggestion for you..."

(End of this chapter)