Chapter 504 Decision-making! (Thanks to book friends 16571 and Longxiao111 for the reward!)
Ye Mingsheng was a little dissatisfied after listening to Wang Xuecheng's words. He looked at Wang Xuecheng deeply, but did not say anything. Then he looked at Yuan Song, who was standing on his left and was silent, and asked:

"Have all the prisoners been handed over to the Sixth Division?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Song nodded and said:

"Yes, after conquering Yijing, our army captured more than 30,000 Yan army prisoners. According to your instructions, we conducted the first round of investigation and identified 98 criminals including Chen Hongchao, Liu Jingwei, and Song Fuhai who were extremely evil and hated by the people..."

"At present, all the ninety-eight criminals have been taken into custody. In addition, about seven thousand young and strong men who were temporarily recruited by the Yan army were released, and five thousand wounded soldiers who returned to their hometowns. The remaining eighteen thousand Yan soldiers have all been handed over to the Sixth Division. General Ye Dong and two thousand of our soldiers have also been stationed in the Sixth Division!"

Upon hearing this, Ye Mingsheng ordered:
"Since they have been caught, there is no point in keeping these parasites alive. It is a waste of food. They will be publicly beheaded at Caishikou in three days!"

"Yes!"

After dealing with this matter, Ye Mingsheng turned his attention to Gu Sansi, who was standing first on his right, and asked:

"Think carefully, how are the talks between Yuyang and Shanggu going?"

Facing Ye Mingsheng's question, Gu Sansi, who had just arrived from Dongning, spoke without hesitation;
"With the help of General Gu, we have a very good talk with the Gu family. Gu Zhongshi, the head of the Gu family, is already preparing to negotiate with Yuyang prefect Cheng Zhang. Yuyang Deputy General Chen Lianggui will come to Yijing to pay a visit to you, Lord. As for Shanggu, there are still some big problems. Shanggu General Cai Cheng is not very enthusiastic about our army's surrender. I guess he might want to wait for a good price..."

Ye Mingsheng's eyes flashed with coldness when he heard this, and he immediately asked:

"How many Yan troops are there in Shanggu now?"

Facing Ye Mingsheng's question, Gu Sansi thought for a while before answering:

"There are about 2,000, but less than 3,000 people. However, Shanggu is close to the grassland and is often attacked by the Luobi people. Therefore, the people there are tough and all the people are soldiers. If they are mobilized, we can probably increase the number of soldiers by more than 5,000. This is also Cai Cheng's confidence!"

"Humph!"

Ye Mingsheng snorted coldly. Since entering the Pass, his main combat goals have always been two. The first is to conquer Yijing, the political and economic center of Youyan, and shake the foundation of Zhao Fuqu's control over Youyan. The second is to annihilate the Yan army's vitality as much as possible. In order to achieve these two combat goals as much as possible, Ye Mingsheng did not distract himself from Yuyang, Shanggu and other prefectures and counties in the north of Youyan.

Now that Zhao Yong was defeated and killed, Yijing fell, and Zhao Fuqu was unable to hold on alone, Ye Mingsheng's two initial combat goals have basically been achieved. Therefore, Ye Mingsheng is also preparing for the next stage, which is to swallow up the territory in the northern part of Youyan after the main force of the Yan army withdrew.

Originally, Ye Mingsheng thought that the Yan army had been losing ground, and the Zhao family had already behaved like this, so the other side should be convinced by the Fengwu army. Now it seems that there are still people who are blind and cannot recognize the current situation...
Thinking of this, Ye Mingsheng instructed Guo Zhiping who was standing behind Yuan Song:
"You lead your troops to Shanggu and bring Cai Cheng back to me!"

"Yes!"

Guo Zhiping bowed and took over Ye Mingsheng's command. Although he brought Zhao Yong's head back to Ye Mingsheng this time, he was reprimanded by Ye Mingsheng for challenging Zhao Yong privately. Ye Mingsheng warned him that as a senior general, he must not fight with the enemy bravely and put himself and the army in an unfavorable situation.

After being reprimanded by Ye Mingsheng, Guo Zhiping deeply realized his mistake and promised Ye Mingsheng that he would never make the same mistake again. Now that Ye Mingsheng gave him the opportunity to redeem himself with meritorious service so quickly, he was naturally very happy.

Seeing that Ye Mingsheng was determined to take Shanggu, Yuan Song seemed to have something to say. After considering his words, he began to report:

"Sir, Zhao Fuqu still has more than 40,000 troops in Jiangshan County and their movements are unknown. Do you think we should be more cautious?"

"Our army has already captured Yijing. Shanggu is within our grasp and can be taken at any time..."

Listening to Yuan Song's opinion, Ye Mingsheng shook his head and rejected it:

"Although Zhao Fuqu is still in Jiangshan County, if he really wanted to come, he should have attacked us when our army had just conquered Yijing and when our army was still unstable. Now our army has completely controlled the city of Yijing. If he attacks us again, he will only bring disgrace upon himself!"

"Besides, I really hope he comes. Our army is now constrained by logistics and cannot continue to push forward the offensive. If he really falls into our trap, it will be exactly what we want. I don't mind taking his head!"

Seeing that Ye Mingsheng had already made up his mind, Yuan Song nodded and stopped trying to dissuade him. After dealing with these military and political affairs, Ye Mingsheng began to focus on logistics issues. Because Zhang Hongxiang's defection was sudden, the Yan army was caught off guard. As a result, the Yan army could only escape for their lives and had no time to burn down important facilities such as the granary in the city.

Although they obtained several large granaries and tens of thousands of shi of grain, this did not improve the poor logistical situation of the Fengwu Army, because these grains were the food rations for hundreds of thousands of people in Yijing. If these grains were misappropriated without authorization, then any risk would lead to a horrific famine in Yijing.

Ye Mingsheng has now taken over Yijing, completely shaking the foundation of Zhao Fuqu's rule. Next, the Fengwu Army only needs to digest the acquired territory step by step, appease the people's hearts and restore order and stability to society. The situation will be very good.

So under such a situation, Ye Mingsheng would naturally not take the risk of rashly leading his troops to Jiangshan County to fight Zhao Fuqu. If he rushed to Jiangshan County now to fight Zhao Fuqu, everything would be fine if he won. However, as long as the war did not go well and the two sides were deadlocked in Jiangshan County, the Fengwu Army would be at risk of losing all its previous efforts...

After reiterating the importance of logistical supplies to the logistics department and urging the rear to raise a batch of supplies as soon as possible, Ye Mingsheng ended the meeting. Although the meeting was over, Gu Sansi, Ye Mingsheng's trusted adviser, remained in the tent.

While closing his eyes and massaging his Qingming acupoint with some fatigue, Ye Mingsheng asked Gu Sansi: "How is Dongning doing?"

In response to Ye Mingsheng's question, Gu Sansi said without hesitation:
"With Chief of Staff He and General Ye Tie in charge, the situation in Dongning is very stable and everything is under control!"

Ye Mingsheng nodded upon hearing this, and then asked:
"What do you think about the livelihood policies to be implemented in Youyan?"

Although Gu Sansi had already begun to think about Ye Mingsheng's question on the way from Dongning, when he really heard this question about the fate of millions of people from Ye Mingsheng, Gu Sansi still pondered for a while before answering:
“Sir, we can replicate our reforms in Liaoyang in Youyan! But I think we should be very cautious in this process. The situation in Youyan is more complicated than that in Liaoyang, and the forces of all parties are more intertwined. In this process, we must remember not to act rashly or cut corners…”

"Besides, we were previously living in a remote corner of Liaoyang, and not much attention was paid to us in the world. Therefore, the reforms we implemented in Liaoyang did not receive much pressure from the outside world. However, our army has now entered the pass, and we are even poised to surpass Shangguan Hongyuan and become the largest lord in the north of the Great Zhou!"

"If nothing unexpected happens, the world's attention will soon be focused on our army, which has both advantages and disadvantages for our army! This will make it easier for our army to recruit talents, but it will also attract attention. If our army wants to continue to implement reforms, it will face great pressure from public opinion!"

After listening to Gu Sansi's words, Ye Mingsheng pondered for a while, and then continued to ask:

"Think twice, do you have any specific ideas?"

Gu Sansi carefully considered his words after hearing this, and then said in a deep voice:
"I think we can continue the public-private partnership in Youyan in industries closely related to people's livelihood, such as grain, cloth, horses, iron, and salt. We should increase supervision of these industries and crack down on hoarding and profiteering! Maintain stable prices and supply of goods!"

“But in terms of land, I think you should proceed step by step and postpone the land redemption policy. At least, we should not continue the land redemption now. When our army completely defeats Zhao Fuqu and completely controls Youyan, we may be able to adopt this policy…”

Listening to Gu Sansi's words, Ye Mingsheng thought for a while, and after a while he nodded and said:
"I know what you're thinking!"

Although Ye Mingsheng did not give a clear answer to his suggestion, Gu Sansi knew that since Ye Mingsheng did not explicitly object, it meant that he had begun to consider his suggestion. However, as the supreme commander of the Fengwu Army, Ye Mingsheng should think carefully and cautiously about every decision he made, and not make it on a whim.

After talking about this matter, Ye Mingsheng seemed to have thought of something and instructed Gu Sansi:

"You will continue to be in charge of external liaisons. You must make good arrangements for the arrival of the Gu family. We need to spend a fortune to buy horse bones and give a positive response to the various forces that are still waiting and watching. We need to get more people to stand on our side!"

"In addition, I have another task for you, which is to investigate the crimes committed by Zhao Fuqu, his family, and his trusted generals in Youyan over the years, and then publicize their crimes to the outside world so that the people will know what evil deeds they have done in Youyan over the years!"

“Yuan Song, Guo Zhiping and the others are all rough and tumble guys who can handle fighting, but you have to think twice before taking charge of these detailed tasks. You can take care of this part first. I trust you to do a good job…”

"I understand, sir! I know what to do!" Gu Sansi nodded and replied.

Ever since he was transferred from Dongning to Youyan by Ye Mingsheng, Gu Sansi knew that he would be busy during this period. However, as an official with aspirations, he has adapted to this high-intensity work. He would feel uncomfortable if he were asked to be idle.

Seeing that Ye Mingsheng had finished his business, Gu Sansi reported to Ye Mingsheng:

"Sir, when the Madam knew I was coming to Youyan, she sent someone to tell me to remind you when I see you in Youyan, don't forget the promise you made when you went to war!"

Ye Mingsheng was stunned at first, then he remembered and shook his head with a smile and said:
"I know about this matter, go back and have a good rest!"

"Yes!"

After Gu Sansi left, Ye Mingsheng called his attendant Qi Dechao in and asked:

"Is there any news from the mansion recently?"

Facing Ye Mingsheng's question, Qi Dechao thought about it, shook his head and said:
"There's no special news. Some old ladies sometimes invite a troupe to perform in the mansion. Madam Bai bought some jewelry and clothes. Madam Pei's clinic hired two more female workers. Also, the eldest lady's due date is getting closer..."

Hearing this, Ye Mingsheng nodded slightly, and recalled in his heart the promise he made to An Miaoyi when he went out to fight that when she gave birth, he would end the war in Youyan and return to Dongning to be with her.

There have been frequent wars recently, and Ye Mingsheng needs to listen to too much information and make too many decisions. He is often too busy. In addition, he thinks that nothing will happen with An Miaoyi at home, so he neglected things at home for a while and forgot that An Miaoyi was pregnant. If Gu Sansi hadn't reminded him just now, he really wouldn't have remembered it.

Although Youyan has not been completely captured yet, Yijing has been captured. Zhao Fuqu is like a lost dog. The Fengwu Army has an obvious advantage. Perhaps he should fulfill his promise.

However, after having this idea, Ye Mingsheng was still a little hesitant. After all, although the war was likely to come to an end now, people's livelihood issues were just beginning. As the supreme commander of the Fengwu Army, there were still many things in all aspects that he needed to deal with.

Although Gu Sansi and Yuan Song are capable and loyal to him, he can completely trust them, but there are some things that he still needs to solve in person. If he leaves Yijing and returns to Dongning now, there will be no trouble with Yuan Song, Lin Huaiwu, Guo Zhiping and others on the military side.

However, Gu Sansi still cannot grasp the people’s livelihood, especially when meeting with the leaders of various forces. Although Gu Sansi is his chief strategist and an important official in Fengwu Army, he has an extraordinary status in Fengwu Army, but his official position in foreign affairs and his weight in Liaoyang politics are still not enough...
(End of this chapter)