Chapter 585 Support the puppet!
After finishing his lunch break, Ye Mingsheng returned to his study and started his afternoon work. Under Ye Mingsheng's diligent efforts over the past few months, Youyan, which had just experienced the war, was gradually recovering from its initial state of disrepair...

After the first round of purges of Youyan officials, although corruption still exists in the Youyan officialdom, the situation has been greatly improved compared to the Zhao Fuqu era. Ye Mingsheng's will can be conveyed to the grassroots level, and some disaster relief money can be quickly delivered to the victims.

In order to reduce his workload and avoid being overwhelmed, Ye Mingsheng delegated a lot of power to the Chief Secretary and only handled the most important matters himself.

Although Cui Shao and Gu Zhongshi have their own thoughts, as long as they adjust their minds and feel that Ye Mingsheng's eyes are watching them all the time, these two veteran bureaucrats who have been in politics for decades are still capable and can handle all kinds of things in a comprehensive manner, leaving no room for fault.

"Sir, this is the memorial sent by the General Staff yesterday. The trial of the last batch of 15,000 Yan army surrendered soldiers has been completed. Please take a look at the specific details!" Ye Cheng, who had just been promoted to the director of the Imperial Guards Department, placed a document in front of Ye Mingsheng.

Looking at the contents of the memorial, Ye Mingsheng quickly browsed through it. Several months had passed since the last battle with the Yan Army, but the General Staff was even busier than during the war. On the one hand, they had to coordinate and deal with the expansion and reorganization of the Fengwu Army. On the other hand, according to the Fengwu Army’s method of dealing with surrendered soldiers, the General Staff also organized a large number of military officers to set up temporary military courts to try the surrendered soldiers of the Yan Army in batches...

Because years of war have caused a labor shortage in Youyan, Ye Mingsheng has instructed the General Staff to relax the trial rules appropriately this time.

As long as they are not Jianyin women, they can be given lighter sentences for heinous crimes such as killing innocent people and taking credit for their crimes. This will simplify the trial process and allow these working-age people to return to society and engage in labor production more quickly, and make due contributions to society and tax revenue.

Looking at the trial results recorded in the memorial, which showed that 3,750 people were detained and sentenced to labor reform, 821 people were beheaded, 69 people had their properties confiscated and their families exterminated, and 21 people had their three clans exterminated, Ye Mingsheng couldn't help but frown slightly, a hint of doubt emerging in his heart.

Because he had instructed the General Staff to open up the trial loopholes appropriately, the General Staff had previously followed his instructions and criticized and educated some surrendered soldiers who had committed minor crimes such as stealing a chicken or not paying for buns. Therefore, the results of the previous trials were that at most more than 300 people were detained and reformed through labor, dozens of people were beheaded, and a few people had their homes confiscated and their families exterminated. There were almost no cases like the extermination of the three tribes.

Why are there so many people this time? It's almost ten times more!

Although he felt a little surprised, Ye Mingsheng knew that he had already given instructions to the General Staff, but the General Staff still convicted these thousands of people. Naturally, the General Staff had their reasons for doing so. So after pondering for a while, Ye Mingsheng asked Ye Cheng:

"Who are these surrendered soldiers?"

In response to Ye Mingsheng's question, Ye Cheng answered without hesitation:

"My Lord, according to your instructions, in order to complete the trial faster and allow more surrendered soldiers to engage in labor production, the General Staff Department put the Zhao family's soldiers, who had the most serious cases, in the last batch to be dealt with..."

"Many of these Zhao's personal soldiers are related to the Zhao family. Because Zhao Fuqu became successful, they also followed him to prosper. In addition, Zhao Fuqu trusted them very much, so these people relied on Zhao Fuqu's support and were arrogant. They committed many evil deeds. The common people were afraid and angry with them!"

"In addition to this last batch of 15,000 surrendered soldiers, there are about 5,000 of them who were captured by our army in Jinzhong. Many of these people were captured by our army in previous battles and then released, but they ran back to Jinzhong to join Zhao Jianan. They are determined to follow the Zhao family, so the General Staff took this into consideration and sentenced them severely!"

After hearing this explanation, Ye Mingsheng's doubts disappeared. After thinking for a while, Ye Mingsheng gave the final judgment. The final judgment results of those who were sentenced to labor reform and beheading remained unchanged. As for those who had their families confiscated and their clans exterminated, and those who had their three clans exterminated, the people involved were executed, and their relatives who were implicated were sent to Posuo Prefecture to guard the border instead.

Seeing Ye Mingsheng's handling results, Ye Cheng praised sincerely:

"Your Excellency is truly kindhearted. These people will surely be grateful for your kindness!"

In response to Ye Cheng's flattery, Ye Mingsheng smiled and waved his hand and said:

"Nothing. I just remembered the petition sent by Posuo Mansion a few days ago saying that they were short of manpower to build a dam...By the way, has the Second Manufacturing Bureau sent anyone to investigate the situation of the underground kerosene in Posuo Mansion?"

"Since you specifically instructed me before, Director Su of the Second Manufacturing Bureau immediately sent someone to investigate the situation as soon as the underground kerosene was discovered in Posuo Mansion. They have been away for seven days now, and they will be back in about one or two months!" Ye Cheng introduced:

Ye Mingsheng nodded slightly and said:
"Tell Su Junjie that this ground fire oil is a top-notch good. Ask him to study it carefully for me!"

"Yes!"

Seeing that Ye Mingsheng had dealt with these situations, Ye Cheng opened his mouth again to remind him:

"Sir, you still have to listen to Director Wang Xuecheng's work report this afternoon. He is waiting outside the study now!"

Ye Mingsheng nodded slightly when he heard this. Seeing this, Ye Cheng immediately took the order and left the room. A moment later, Wang Xuecheng, deputy director of the Coordination Office, walked into Ye Mingsheng's study.

"Your humble servant Wang Xuecheng greets His Excellency the Governor!" Wang Xuecheng bowed respectfully and said:

Ye Mingsheng raised his hand slightly as a greeting, and then slowly said;
"How are you doing with the things I asked you to do?"

Under Ye Mingsheng's gaze, Wang Xuecheng said without hesitation:

“The five jonin who sneaked in from Japan have all been wiped out by our Coordination Office. During the fight, we killed four of them and seriously injured one of them and captured him. He was already seriously injured when he was captured alive. Although we found a doctor for him, he eventually died. We haven’t had time to dig out more valuable information from him…” Wang Xuecheng paused here, and after secretly glancing at Ye Mingsheng’s facial expression from the corner of his eye, he carefully reported to Ye Mingsheng;

"We learned from other channels that these five people are subordinates of Muto Masaaki, one of the three magistrates of Japan. They were sent by Muto Masaaki to carry out a secret mission!"

As soon as these words came out, a barely perceptible gleam of light flashed across Ye Mingsheng's eyes. After a moment, Ye Mingsheng slowly said:

"Was that Japanese witch's last name Muto before?"

Although Ye Mingsheng said the name directly, when Wang Xuecheng heard the word "witch", an enchanting figure quickly emerged in his mind. He nodded and said:
"Yes, her original name was Muto Takahide. She was the eldest daughter of Muto Masaaki. In her early years, she married Kobayakawa Kenji of the famous Kobayakawa family in Japan. According to Japanese customs, she changed her name to Kobayakawa Takahide. However, they were married for only a year before Kobayakawa Kenji died of illness. It was at this time that Kobayakawa Takahide came to Miyakoto and joined the Black Dragon Society!"

After Wang Xuecheng finished speaking, he waited for Ye Mingsheng's order. However, he waited for about a cup of tea, and Ye Mingsheng did not speak. Seeing this, Wang Xuecheng quietly observed Ye Mingsheng's expression. He could not see anything, so he hesitated for a moment and asked tentatively:
"Sir, do you want me to ask Kobayakawa Takahide to come here..."

Wang Xuecheng's words interrupted Ye Mingsheng's contemplation. Ye Mingsheng waved his hand and ordered:

"No, this matter ends here! You just need to keep a close eye on the situation in the palace and Japan!"

Seeing that Ye Mingsheng mentioned the situation in Gongdu, Wang Xuecheng also reported the situation in Gongdu to Ye Mingsheng and said:
"Sir, the current situation in Gongdu is under control. Lee Hyun-min and Lee Hyun-chang are fighting fiercely, and we have chosen a candidate to support, and that person is Lee Hyun-in, the eldest son of Seosan-gun, a member of the royal family of Gongdu!"

Hearing the name "Li Xuanren", Ye Mingsheng felt that it sounded familiar, but for a moment he could not remember where he had heard this name. Noticing Ye Mingsheng's confusion, Wang Xuecheng reminded him:
"Sir, this Li Xuanren served as the garrison commander of Hamxing County when our army entered the palace to fight. He was captured by General Yuan Song when he attacked Hamxing County. Because he was a prisoner of our army, he is very afraid of our army and is very willing to cooperate with us!"

Ye Mingsheng became interested after hearing this and asked again:
"Besides this, is there any other reason for you to choose him?"

Facing Ye Mingsheng's question, Wang Xuecheng organized his words before introducing himself:

“The reason why we chose Li Xuanren as the target of our army’s support is largely because his father, Seosan Gun, is a big shot in the royal family of Gongdu and has great appeal among the clan members and the court. If we choose someone else, then he and Seosan Gun are likely to unite and try to get rid of our army’s control…”

"Although Li Xuanren is also a member of the royal family of Gongdu, he is not qualified to inherit the throne. It is against etiquette for us to help him ascend the throne. This will inevitably cause huge controversy in the court of Gongdu. In order to ensure that his son sits firmly on the throne, Seosan Jun will certainly maintain his rule. In this way, the whole of Gongdu will lose the basis for unity. Our army only needs to instigate it a little, and we can control the situation in Gongdu with the least effort!"

Hearing Wang Xuecheng's words, Ye Mingsheng couldn't help but look at him deeply. He didn't expect that Wang Xuecheng would have such means!

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Hebei, Henan, Dayashan

Still dressed as a scholar, Zhang Zhen appeared in front of Zhu Sanshan again. Looking at Zhu Sanshan in front of him, Zhang Zhen bowed and congratulated him:
"Congratulations to the boss for his success in getting this batch of goods!"

Seeing that Zhang Zhen had already learned the news that he had seized the batch of goods, Zhu Sanshan, with an expressionless face, did not react. He directly asked his men to take out a box, and then opened the box in front of Zhang Zhen, only to see a porcelain vase covered with jewels and exquisite and elegant style inside.

Seeing the appearance of this porcelain bottle, Zhang Zhen immediately smiled and said:
"Yes, this is the Aquarius our boss wants!"

As Zhang Zhen spoke, he took out a thick stack of banknotes from his pocket and handed it to Zhu Sanshan, saying:

"Master Zhu, I know the rules. I will pay you with one hand and deliver the goods with the other!"

Taking the stack of silver bills from Zhang Zhen, Zhu Sanshan took a quick look at them. These were the same as the last time, all of which were Yujingtong ten-liang silver bills, with about one hundred pieces in total, which was in line with Zhang Zhen's promise of one thousand taels of silver after the matter was done. After counting the money, Zhu Sanshan casually handed it over to Sun He, his subordinate who was in charge of finances and grain.

Sun He smiled brightly after receiving the banknotes. These bandits had just suffered a disastrous defeat in Yingcheng, and all the wealth they had accumulated before was left in Yingcheng. Now they were very poor, and the delivery of one thousand taels of silver would undoubtedly solve their urgent needs...

Although he received the silver, Zhu Sanshan did not hand the exquisite porcelain vase in the box to Zhang Zhen. Instead, he picked up the porcelain vase in the box, played with it slowly in his palm, and asked Zhang Zhen indifferently:

"Brother Zhang Zhen, why is this porcelain so valuable? Why is your boss willing to spend 1,300 taels of silver to get it?"

Zhang Zhen said with a smile on his face:
"Boss Zhu, I told you last time that this porcelain vase is our boss's favorite thing. We would rather pay a little more to get it!"

After hearing this, Zhu Sanshan seemed to really believe what Zhang Zhen said, nodded and said:

"In that case, I will fulfill your boss' wish!"

After saying that, Zhu Sanshan handed the exquisite porcelain vase to Zhang Zhen. Zhang Zhen did not doubt it and while thanking Zhu Sanshan, he wanted to take the porcelain vase. At this moment, a scene that no one expected happened.

Just when Zhang Zhen was about to take the porcelain bottle, Zhu Sanshan's hand suddenly loosened, and the porcelain bottle fell to the ground in front of Zhang Zhen. There was a crisp "crack" sound, and the porcelain bottle worth 1,300 taels of silver was broken into countless pieces...
(End of this chapter)