Chapter 514 Beating!

Although he was somewhat dissatisfied with Huo San's answer, Ye Mingsheng did not reprimand him too much. He understood Huo San's difficulties.

Money is very important in intelligence work, and it can even be said to be indispensable. Whether it is corrupting enemy officials, operating funds, training personnel, post-processing, etc., all aspects require money to support...

Although Ye Mingsheng had greatly expanded fiscal revenue in Liaoyang through reforms, Liaoyang still had a weak foundation and a weak base, so even if he increased revenue and reduced expenditure, there was not much money left. What's more, Ye Mingsheng also had an army of nearly 100,000, which meant that there was even less spare money.

Huo San, who did not get much funding from the treasury, could not launch a full-scale intelligence operation. He could only make adjustments based on the overall strategy of the Fengwu Army, selecting major targets and concentrating manpower and material resources for infiltration.

For a long time, although the Fengwu Army had constant friction with the Luobi people on the grassland and small-scale battles occurred from time to time, there were always unobstructed trade channels, and the powerful combat effectiveness of the Fengwu Army made the Luobi people deeply fearful, so no large-scale war broke out between the two sides.

In this context, the Fengwu Army never regarded the Luobi people as their main opponent. Therefore, the Coordination Office led by Huo San did not invest limited resources in the Luobi people. Instead, they vigorously infiltrated the Abag, Urad, and Khalkha tribes close to Liaoyang to prevent possible harassment and invasion of Liaoyang by the Luobi people.

After thinking for a while, Ye Mingsheng asked Huo San:
"How much money do you have in your account now?"

Huo San said without hesitation:
"There are probably about 150,000 taels left!"

Hearing this number, Ye Mingsheng raised his eyebrows and asked with a smile:
"Does it include your little treasury?"

As soon as these words came out, a chill immediately rushed from Huo San's back to his head. Huo San subconsciously knelt on the ground and prostrated himself to Ye Mingsheng and said:

"I am guilty of a thousand crimes..."

According to Ye Mingsheng's instructions, the finance department would allocate funds to the Coordination Office at the beginning and middle of each year. This was apparently the only source of income for the Coordination Office. However, in fact, due to Ye Mingsheng's regulations, the Coordination Office did not dare to control industries within the Fengwu Army and obtain economic rewards.

However, in order to hide and operate abroad, the Coordination Office opened many inns, grain stores, jewelry stores and other various shops to hide the identities of intelligence personnel. These shops will also generate economic benefits in addition to their tasks, and among them, gambling dens and ticket shops are the most profitable businesses.

Although this part of the income would be reported to the Coordination Office every once in a while, Huo San and Wang Xuecheng secretly conspired to falsify the accounts and withheld a considerable portion of this income to benefit themselves and their subordinates!

It was with this income that Huo San took on three concubines and thirty hectares of good land. Wang Xuecheng was not a clean person either. He did not buy land or take on concubines like Huo San did, but as a self-proclaimed cultured man, he also secretly bought himself a lot of cultural relics and calligraphy and paintings, which he kept at home to enjoy slowly.

Huo San and Wang Xuecheng thought that their little actions were flawless, but Ye Mingsheng had been watching them all the time. Although he had been fighting corruption, he was not a moral hygienic. As long as they did not go too far, Ye Mingsheng would turn a blind eye for the time being.

After all, if the water is too clear, there will be no fish. It is unrealistic to expect an intelligence agency like the Coordination Office to be clean. Moreover, it is still wartime, and we need capable generals like Huo San and Wang Xuecheng to fight behind enemy lines...
Looking at Huo San who was kneeling on the ground in fear and trepidation, not daring to breathe, Ye Mingsheng smiled and said slowly:
"Huo San, whether you are a person or doing things, you have to pay attention to the limit. If you exceed this limit, it will be bad. Don't you think this is the truth?"

Listening to Ye Mingsheng's meaningful words, Huo San's back was immediately covered in cold sweat, and he said without any hesitation:

"I am willing to hand over all the 110,000 taels of silver in my small treasury!"

Seeing that Huo San was quite decisive, Ye Mingsheng waved his hand and said:
"I don't want your silver, but I want you to drive a nail into the palace of King Luobi for me. I want to know immediately if they make any move. Huo San, can you do this?"

Huo San took a deep breath after hearing this, nodded seriously to Ye Mingsheng and said:

"I promise to complete the task!"

After receiving Huo San's affirmative answer, Ye Mingsheng nodded with a smile and said:
"Very good, I believe you!"

After letting Ye Cheng send Huo San away, Ye Mingsheng picked up the teacup and took a sip, feeling a little emotional in his heart. As the saying goes, you can never know a person's heart by just knowing his face. Even the most loyal subordinates need to be disciplined when necessary, otherwise they will lose their sense of awe sooner or later...
After thinking for a while, Ye Mingsheng called Ye Cheng over. Seeing his distant cousin being so reserved in front of him, Ye Mingsheng smiled and said:
"I heard from Miaoyi that you have performed very well during your time as an official soldier in the mansion. Continuing to be a housekeeper in the mansion will bury your talents!"

Hearing Ye Mingsheng's praise, Ye Cheng was delighted and had some expectations in his heart, but he still pretended to be calm and bowed to Ye Mingsheng, and replied very respectfully:
"Your Excellency is too kind. It is all thanks to the Madam's good teaching. It is Ye Cheng's honor to be your housekeeper!"

Ye Mingsheng said without comment:
"Mother told me about you during the day. Where do you want to go? To join the army or be a civilian?"

Facing Ye Mingsheng's question, Ye Cheng's mind was still very clear. He knew that there was no room for him to be picky, so he said decisively:

"I will listen to you, sir. Wherever you tell me to go, I will go!"

Seeing Ye Cheng's mature appearance, Ye Mingsheng was quite satisfied. He pondered for a moment and said slowly:
"Qi Dechao is about to be exiled, and I am in need of an attendant. You will stay by my side and work for me..."

As soon as these words came out, Ye Cheng's heart suddenly revealed a hint of joy. He had been working in the Governor's Mansion, the core of power of the Fengwu Army, for quite some time, and had some understanding of the power structure of the Fengwu Army. He knew very well that the attendant officer beside Ye Mingsheng, although he looked humble and insignificant, only did miscellaneous things such as serving tea and water to Ye Mingsheng.

But in fact, this position is a very critical position. It is the "close minister of the emperor" of Fengwu Army who can participate in the highest decision-making of Fengwu Army. There are so many people in Fengwu Army who want to be this attendant officer! Until now, Ye Cheng's head is still dizzy. He can't believe that this pie in the sky really fell on his head!

You have to know that when Cui Shao, He Jingyun, Gu Sansi, Murong Yuliang and other Fengwu Army leaders came into contact with Qi Dechao, they were also friendly and did not dare to put on airs, for fear that Qi Dechao would speak ill of them to Ye Mingsheng behind their backs! This is enough to show how important the position of the attendant officer is!
Although Ye Cheng has tried to control his emotions, Ye Mingsheng can still feel his inner joy through the changes in his eyes. Ye Mingsheng has some insights into this. Ye Cheng is a good candidate. He is born into the Ye family and his loyalty is guaranteed, but he still lacks experience.

After thinking carefully for a while, Ye Cheng made a decision in his heart. He bowed to Ye Mingsheng and said:

“Sir, you asked me to be your aide-de-camp. You think highly of me, Ye Cheng. However, the position of an aide-de-camp is of great importance. I am afraid that I cannot handle this important task and will delay your important matters…” Seeing that Ye Cheng was quite calm and knew his own worth, and was not completely overwhelmed by joy, Ye Mingsheng felt relieved and felt that he had not chosen the wrong person. He immediately spoke:
"Qi Dechao will be gone for a while, so you should learn from him and let him guide you. No one can be competent all at once. I think you have the potential. If you work hard, you will have a bright future!"

Listening to Ye Mingsheng's encouragement, Ye Cheng was immediately moved to tears. He wiped the tears from his face and said firmly:

"Thank you for your kindness, sir. I will never let you down and will serve you loyally until death!"

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After learning about Zhao Fuqu's unusual movements, Ye Mingsheng had no choice but to end his parent-child time in Dongning ahead of schedule. He decided to return to Yijing early tomorrow morning to personally preside over the work in Youyan. Before that, in order to save time, Ye Mingsheng went to Cui Mansion late at night and had a secret talk with Cui Shao. Then, he said goodbye to the women in his family early in the morning and returned to Yijing with Ye Cheng and hundreds of personal guards.

Before leaving, Ye Mingsheng left an order, appointing Xun Ke, the reserve commander of the Fengwu Army, to temporarily take over as deputy chief of staff of the Fengwu Army's general staff and be stationed in Liaoyang. After the handover, He Jingyun, the chief of staff of the Fengwu Army, will lead some capable staff members to Yijing.

According to the previous combat plan, the first phase of the Youyan War ended with the capture of Yijing, and the second phase of dealing with Zhao Fuqu's counterattack also ended because of Zhao Fuqu's abandonment. The war officially entered the third phase of stalemate. However, due to Gao Zongchang, Cao Changping, and the possible joining of the Luobei people, the war became more confusing. The original combat plan was no longer suitable. With the current development of the situation, Ye Mingsheng needed He Jingyun and the staff to come to the front line to analyze the situation and make suggestions for him.

And just a few days after Ye Mingsheng left Dongning, an expected guest walked into the Governor's Mansion at the invitation of Ye Cui.

Looking at the sleeping child in the cradle of Ye Cuishi, Cui Shao smiled and nodded and said:

"This child has a full forehead and broad cheekbones. He will definitely be an ordinary person in the future!"

Hearing Cui Shao's praise, Ye Cui, the grandmother, smiled unconsciously, but still said modestly:

"Third brother, the child has just been born, how can you tell so much?"

Cui Shao smiled and said:

"Other children may not be able to see it, but Mingsheng and Miaoyi's child will naturally be invaluable in the future."

After saying that, Cui Shao lowered his head and looked at the little guy carefully again, then asked:
"Did Mingsheng name the child?"

Ye Cui said without hesitation:
"Before Mingsheng left, he named the child Ye Jingren, saying that he wanted the child to have a kind heart in the future!"

Cui Shao smiled and nodded when he heard this.

"Ye Jingren, what a nice name!"

As he spoke, Cui Shao took up a jade pendant from his waist, handed it to Ye Cui and said:

"I left in such a hurry that I didn't bring anything good with me. I've been carrying this jade pendant with me for more than ten years. It's a good little item. I'll give it to this little guy as a gift!"

Seeing Cui Shao handing over this piece of white jade, Ye Cui was also a little surprised and subconsciously declined:
"Third brother, this thing is too expensive, you should think of changing it to something else..."

Cui Shao smiled and shook his head when he heard this.

"Hey...this is for the child! Not for you!"

Seeing that Cui Shao insisted on doing so, Ye Cui hesitated for a moment and then accepted it. After doing all this, Cui Shao accompanied Ye Cui to play two rounds of mahjong in the mansion. At this time, An Miaoyi came to pay her respects to Ye Cui with the support of Qiqige.

Seeing An Miaoyi appear, Ye Cui said worriedly:

"Why are you so anxious? You're still in confinement! If you want to see Yongren, just tell us and we'll send him to you. Why did you just come out like this?"

Feeling Ye Cui's worry, An Miaoyi said to Ye Cui coquettishly:
"Mom, I've recovered very well now, please let me get out of bed and move around!"

Facing An Miaoyi's coquettish behavior, Ye Cui's attitude softened but she still warned:

"Miaoyi, mother is telling you that you must not be careless about confinement after childbirth. If you don't do it well, you will have a root cause of illness for the rest of your life!"

"Mom, I'm in good health, don't worry!" An Miaoyi said with a smile while holding Ye Cui's arm:

After dealing with Ye Cui, An Miaoyi greeted Cui Shao calmly and also invited opera singers to accompany Ye Cui to watch a play. Because Ye Cui loved watching plays and the female family members had no other entertainment options, Ye Mingsheng personally took the initiative to order a small opera troupe to be set up in the mansion. When Ye Cui wanted to watch a play, they would bring the troupe to perform for her.

After watching several famous operas in a row, such as The Lotus Lantern, Water Splashing in Front of Horses and Judge Bao, Ye Cui felt a little tired without noticing it. With the help of An Miaoyi, she returned to her yard to rest. After seeing Ye Cui off, An Miaoyi returned to her seat and let the troupe continue singing...

(Please, my fellow book friends, give your child a name that contains the character "Ren" (benevolence)! Thank you very much!)
(End of this chapter)