Chapter 518 I don’t know how to praise!

A red sun slowly rose from the horizon, casting a golden glow on the tall and majestic Yijing City. Hundreds of cavalrymen galloped from the east. The soldiers guarding the city were about to step forward to interrogate them when they heard someone among the cavalrymen shouting:
"We are the Royal Guard Battalion. Please make way..."

When they heard that it was the Royal Guard Battalion and saw the black dragon flag held high by the cavalry, the soldiers guarding the city immediately realized that the people coming were the commander-in-chief's personal followers. They did not dare to delay and opened the city gate, saluted and watched the Royal Guard Battalion enter the city.

Under the escort of the Royal Guard Battalion, Ye Mingsheng returned to his mansion in Yijing unimpeded. Because he had rested in the wild last night, Ye Mingsheng did not sleep well. Now that he was back in the mansion, Ye Mingsheng originally planned to have a good sleep before dealing with the government affairs accumulated during the days he was away.

Unfortunately, just as he entered the mansion, within less than an incense stick of time, Gu Sansi, who had received the news, came over to report on his work. For the sake of work, Ye Mingsheng could only force himself to meet Gu Sansi despite his tired body.

After paying his respects to Ye Mingsheng, Gu Sansi opened his mouth and reported to Ye Mingsheng:

"Sir, during the time you returned to Dongning, I met with the Ma family in Dai County, the Song family in Jizhou, the Wang family in Yanmen and other forces, and promoted the policies of our Fengwu Army to them. The contacts went very smoothly at the beginning, but now we have encountered some resistance..."

Although Gu Sansi did not say it directly, Ye Mingsheng probably realized something and said without thinking:
"Is it about public-private partnership?"

Seeing that Ye Mingsheng had understood, Gu Sansi nodded and said without hiding anything:

"Yes, sir, these gentry representatives are willing to donate money to our army, but they are all opposed to our public-private partnership policy, and their attitude is very firm and negative. I dare not make a decision on my own when it comes to the overall situation. Please give me your instructions!"

A sneer emerged on Ye Mingsheng's face when he heard this. These gentry haven't realized the situation yet. They think that I, Ye, am just another Zhao Fuqu and that they can get away with it by paying some protection fees. I haven't remeasured the land yet, and redeeming the land is already enough to give them face. Now they dare to oppose me in the public-private partnership. Do they really think my knife is not sharp?
After a pause, Ye Mingsheng asked:

"Who currently has the most negative attitude and the strongest resistance in this matter?"

Facing Ye Mingsheng's question, Gu Sansi said without any hesitation:
"This should be the Ma family from Dai County. They own Guangtai Heng, the largest bank in northern Youyan. They also own 30% of Jiahe Xing, a business that occupies 50% of Youyan's grain market share. In addition, they also have considerable influence in the salt, cloth and other industries!"

“The Ma family has three mansions covering an area of ​​100 acres in Dai County. Half of the fertile land in Dai County also belongs to them. It is said that the Ma family used to donate 300,000 taels of silver, 200,000 dan of grain, and countless salt, iron, and cloth to the Yan army every year…”

Hearing this, Ye Mingsheng rubbed his Qingming acupoint and asked calmly:

"So their family is very rich?"

Gu Sansi nodded and said:
"It is conservatively estimated that there are at least 500,000 taels of silver in the Ma family's treasury. I have met with their representative Ma Hongde before. Ma Hongde said that as long as our army stops the public-private partnership, the Ma family is willing to fully cooperate with our army and donate 200,000 taels of silver, 100,000 dan of grain, 10,000 jin of salt, and 50,000 pieces of cloth to our army!"

At this point, Gu Sansi took out a pair of jade bracelets from his arms and presented them to Ye Mingsheng, saying:
"This is a little gadget that Ma Hongde gave me. I didn't want to accept it, but Ma Hongde was very determined. In order not to affect your plan, I can only accept it with reluctance. Please understand!"

Ye Mingsheng picked up the pair of jade bracelets with great interest and looked at them carefully. He saw that the jade bracelets were transparent and well-made. They were definitely extraordinary. If they were put on the market, they would cost at least a thousand taels of silver. He returned the jade bracelets to Gu Sansi and said with a smile:

"This Ma Hongde is really generous!"

Listening to Ye Mingsheng's words, Gu Sansi felt that the valuable jade bracelet in his hand suddenly became extremely hot. Just when he didn't know what to do, Ye Mingsheng opened his mouth and ordered:

“Return this jade bracelet to Ma Hongde! If he is a smart man, he should know what to do…”

"Yes!"

After receiving Ye Mingsheng's order, Gu Sansi felt relieved, but after hesitating for a moment, he said:
"Sir, this Ma family is a typical representative of collusion between officials and businessmen in Youyan officialdom. They have very complex and close interest relations with officials from all over the country. Many people act as umbrellas for them and escort their businesses. I think Ma Hongde will not give in easily!"

Ye Mingsheng smiled slightly when he heard this:

"God is merciful and kind. I, Ye, am not a person who kills indiscriminately. I have given him a chance. The rest depends on his own luck. If he cannot turn back from his wrong path and still insists on going his own way and persists, then this is the fate of their Ma family!"

Gu Sansi's expression froze when he heard this. Although Ye Mingsheng said this lightly, the meaning behind his words was full of murderous intent.

Gu Sansi took a deep breath, bowed to Ye Mingsheng and said:
"I will inform Ma Hongde of the adults' decision!"

"Well, think twice before you do anything. I trust you!" Ye Mingsheng encouraged with a smile:
After letting Ye Cheng send Gu Sansi away, Ye Mingsheng shook his head slightly in the room. Now that he had entered seclusion, for the sake of his own image, he was unwilling to commit more sins of killing. However, there were always some people who were ungrateful and shameless. He hoped that after killing the chicken to scare the monkey, some people would recognize the situation clearly...

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Dongning, Murong Mansion
A faint aroma rose from the incense burner in the study, and Murong Yuliang was sipping fragrant tea with a young man in his thirties.

Picking up the teacup and taking a sip, Murong Yuliang couldn't help but sigh and said, "I love you!"

"What a great tea! I haven't had such a good cup of pre-rain Longjing tea in a long time!"

The young man Murong Hui beside him listened to Murong Yuliang's sigh and said with a smile:

"My father knew that my second uncle liked this, so he asked me to come here this time so that I could bring two kilograms to give to my second uncle!"

Murong Yuliang shook his head and said, "Your father is so stingy that he only asked you to bring me two kilograms. Well, it's good enough to have something to drink now!"

Murong Hui explained:
"Uncle, you don't know this. Since the Luo'an Incident, the trade route from Jiangnan to Sichuan and Shu has been greatly affected. These teas were specially sent by Wu Guangdao, the governor of Jiangnan, to be presented to the emperor. The emperor rewarded some to the ministers. Our family received a total of five kilograms..."

Murong Yuliang changed his tone immediately after hearing this and said with emotion:

"I see, it's my big brother who is thinking about me!"

While sipping tea, Murong Yuliang asked about his family in Sichuan. As the saying goes, a letter from home is worth ten thousand pieces of gold during a war. Since the Luoan Incident, the roads in the world have been blocked, and the correspondence between him and his family in Sichuan has become less frequent. Murong Yuliang, who is in the northern border, also misses his family very much. Now that his nephew Murong Hui has come from Sichuan, he naturally asked about it.

Hearing that his family had been properly arranged by his elder brother Murong Lun, Murong Yuliang felt relieved and asked Murong Hui directly:
"Your father asked you to come here from afar, but what do you think?"

Murong Hui nodded and said:
"Because you, my second uncle, are in the Fengwu Army, my father has been paying close attention to the Fengwu Army's movements in Sichuan. The Fengwu Army's entry into the pass this time was as swift as a gust of wind sweeping away fallen leaves. They defeated Zhao Fuqu, who was entrenched in the north, and captured Yijing. This has also attracted a lot of attention from the court!"

"The reason why my father sent me here this time is, firstly, to ask you, second uncle, about your views on the future of the Fengwu Army and on Governor Ye himself. Secondly, I also want you to introduce me so that I can meet Governor Ye on behalf of my father..."

Murong Hui's words were already within Murong Yuliang's expectations, so he hesitated for a moment and said:
"At present, unless Shangguan Hongyuan can conquer Sichuan and Shu, or he gives up attacking Sichuan and Shu and shifts his strategic focus eastward to threaten the Fengwu Army from Yunbing, I don't see anyone in the north who can stop the expansion of the Fengwu Army!"

Murong Hui was shocked when these words came out, and he looked at his second uncle with some surprise. Although the current situation of Fengwu Army was indeed very good, he did not expect that Murong Yuliang was so confident about the future of Fengwu Army. After all, in his impression, his second uncle was always very cautious in what he said and did.

Feeling Murong Hui's shock, Murong Yuliang smiled and said:
"I'm not bragging just because I'm a member of the Fengwu Army. In my opinion, the Fengwu Army does have this strength! Our Governor Ye is indeed a hero with the aura of swallowing up mountains and rivers! In my opinion, by the end of this year at the latest, the Fengwu Army will capture Zhuo County and completely annihilate Zhao Fuqu's participation in Youyan!"

Murong Hui thought for a moment after hearing this, and asked Murong Yuliang tentatively:

"Uncle, do you know the battle plan of the Fengwu Army?"

Murong Yuliang smiled and shook his head and said:

“The organizational structure of the Fengwu Army is not what you imagine. In the Fengwu Army, apart from Gu Sansi who is an exception, the other civil officials and military officials are clearly separated. The only communication between them is the issue of military expenditures. Apart from that, they basically do not get involved in each other’s affairs! So it is impossible for me to know the battle plan of the Fengwu Army. My judgment is based on my understanding of Governor Ye…”

"The only factor that restricts the pace of Fengwu Army's external expansion is logistical support. Now the strategic focus of Fengwu Army has begun to shift to Youyan. Ye Mingsheng is personally in charge of the reform of Youyan, trying to integrate the human and material resources in the northern part of Youyan. When the integration is completed, it will be almost time for those arrogant and powerful generals of Fengwu Army to start again!"

"Gao Zongchang is old and now only wants to maintain the status quo, but the more he wants to maintain the status quo, the more chaotic Hebei and Henan become. Although Cao Changping is younger, he is ambitious and capable, but his base is too weak and too chaotic, and he does not have the courage and ability to integrate like Ye Mingsheng. If he can cooperate sincerely with Gao Zongchang, he may be able to stop the Fengwu Army, but these two people have ulterior motives, and it is impossible for them to unite sincerely."

"So we will take down Zhao Fuqu and occupy the entire territory of Youyan this year. If nothing unexpected happens, the Fengwu Army will invade Hebei, Henan, Qi and Lu and occupy the Central Plains in the next five years or three years!"

Seeing Murong Yuliang praising Fengwu Army and Ye Mingsheng so much, Murong Hui seemed a little dissatisfied and asked:

"According to what you said, Uncle, then the Fengwu Army has no weaknesses, and it is only a matter of time before they take over the world."

Murong Yuliang's expression became serious when he heard this:

“Although the Fengwu Army is strong and Ye Mingsheng is also very powerful, they are not without weaknesses. They even have a fatal weakness. If someone can overcome this weakness, the Fengwu Army will instantly collapse and fall apart…”

This statement immediately aroused Murong Hui's interest, and he asked curiously:
"What is the weakness of Second Uncle Fengwu's army?"

Facing Murong Hui's question, Murong Yuliang was silent for a while, then he raised his head and met Murong Hui's gaze and said word by word:

"Ye Mingsheng!"

"The weakness of the Fengwu Army is Ye Mingsheng?" Murong Hui asked in surprise:

"That's right, Ye Mingsheng is the lifeblood of the Fengwu Army!" Murong Yuliang nodded with certainty:

After he finished speaking, Murong Yuliang organized his words and said:
"Ye Mingsheng is good at playing tricks. Under his manipulation, no one in the Fengwu Army can threaten his position. Everyone is tightly united around him. But this also means that if Ye Mingsheng gets into trouble, no one in the entire Fengwu Army will be able to take his place. The Fengwu Army will be torn apart and may even fight!"

"Ye Mingsheng has been very good at leveraging the power of the aristocratic families since he rose to prominence in Fengzhou. However, I think deep down in his heart, he is very wary of and disgusted with the aristocratic families. The series of reforms he promoted, such as public-private partnerships and land redemption policies, have only one core and purpose, which is to strike at the aristocratic families!"

"In Liaoyang, except for the Cui family, which was led by the old fox Cui Shao, they never gave Ye Mingsheng a suitable excuse. The remaining Gongsun family and Yun family were basically broken by Ye Mingsheng. When Ye Mingsheng was the strong eye of the formation, they could only hide in the corner to lick their wounds. But if Ye Mingsheng has problems, then the power of the family will definitely make a comeback!"

“As for the military, only Ye Mingsheng has the prestige and ability to make those arrogant soldiers and generals submit obediently. Others simply don’t have this ability. If Ye Mingsheng is gone, no one will be able to control the army. If no one submits, war will inevitably break out…”

(End of this chapter)