Chapter 598: Central Plains! Central Plains!
Yujing, Gaofu

Gao Zongchang, the commander of the Jade Capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty, was leaning on the armchair in plain clothes. Beside him, three maids with bright eyes and white teeth were very obediently tapping the legs and shoulders of this old man who knew his destiny...
Gao Zongchang, who was enjoying such treatment, looked at Yang Yuanze, the governor of Hebei and Henan, who was standing respectfully in the hall and said lazily:
"Yuan Ze, this month is almost up. Has Ding Shan dealt with the bandits in Yingcheng?"

Seeing Gao Zongchang asking this, Yang Yuanze hesitated, not knowing whether he should tell Gao Zongchang the truth. After hesitating for a moment, he said very tactfully:
"The eldest master has already killed that bastard Zhu Sanshan!"

Gao Zongchang became excited when he heard this. His old eyes lit up and he said excitedly:
"My son is indeed a great general! When will the head of that thief Zhu be delivered to me? I will hang this thief's head above the north gate so that everyone can see what happens when a bandit rebels!"

As soon as these words came out, Yang Yuanze immediately looked embarrassed and explained:
"Although the eldest son killed Zhu Sanshan, the bandits took his body back..."

Although Gao Zongchang was old, he had been in the political arena for decades. When he saw Yang Yuanze's hesitation, he immediately realized that things were not as simple as he imagined. The joy in his heart faded away, and he asked Yang Yuanze in a deep voice:
"Yuan Ze, what's going on? Tell me in detail!"

Seeing that Gao Zongchang was serious, Yang Yuanze could only tell him everything:

"The eldest son got the news that Zhu Sanshan was hiding in Erlanggou, Daya Mountain, so he sent Chen Chuande to lead 10,000 elite soldiers to Erlanggou to kill Zhu Sanshan. Although General Chen succeeded in killing Zhu Sanshan in Erlanggou, he was ambushed by the bandits in Luoxiajian on his way back. Except for a few people, all the 10,000 elite soldiers were wiped out. Even General Chen himself was captured by the bandits!"

As soon as these words came out, Gao Zongchang's old face suddenly showed a trace of anger, and he kicked the maid who was knocking his legs and cursed:
"Go away!"

The little maidservant was kicked to the ground and felt very aggrieved, but she didn't dare to cry. She could only hold back the tears in her eyes and obediently retreated behind Gao Zongchang...
After venting some of his anger, Gao Zongchang closed his eyes and said slowly:
"Didn't you tell me that as long as Zhu Sanshan was killed, the bandits would collapse on their own and wouldn't dare to go against the government troops?"

Hearing this, Yang Yuanze explained helplessly;
"That was originally the case, but Zhu Sanshan's guard escaped and took Zhu Sanshan's last order away. Zhu Sanshan said that whoever could kill Chen Chuande to avenge him could borrow his squad, so his subordinate Feng Sanxi organized troops to ambush our army in Luoxiajian, and tore General Chen into five pieces in front of Zhu Sanshan's spirit to comfort Zhu Sanshan's spirit in heaven. So he was elected as the new leader by the bandits!"

"Who is this Feng Sanxi?" Gao Zongchang asked irritably:
"Feng Sanxi is an old man among the Dayashan bandits. He has a long career among the bandits but has not made any achievements. However, his troops have increased very quickly recently. There are rumors that the remnants of the Yan army are supporting Feng Sanxi behind the scenes. After being elected as the leader, Feng Sanxi also carried out a wave of purges among the bandits. They acted very quickly. I suspect that they may have planned this in advance!"

When Gao Zongchang heard this, a barely perceptible gleam flashed across his cloudy old eyes and he said in a deep voice:
"Do you think those people are really the remnants of the Yan army?"

Yang Yuanze said subconsciously:
“This is what we investigated…”

Before he finished speaking, Yang Yuanze seemed to realize something and said in shock:
"Sir, are you saying that these people are not remnants of the Yan army, but members of the Fengwu army?"

Gao Zongchang said coldly:

"This group of Yan soldiers paid Zhu Sanshan more than 100,000 taels of silver, as well as so much food and firearms. If the Zhao family had this ability, would they have been wiped out by Ye Mingsheng, that little wolf cub, in less than a year?"

After hearing this, Yang Yuanze thought about it carefully and agreed with it and said:
"You are absolutely right, sir! Ye Mingsheng, that ambitious man, has been secretly spying on our Jiyu land!"

Gao Zongchang asked again in a deep voice:
"What's the situation in Yecheng in the north recently?"

Yang Yuanze thought for a moment and replied:
"A few days ago, General Wang sent someone to report that the Fengwu Army in Zhuo County was mobilizing on a large scale again, saying that they were going to wipe out the remnants of the Yan Army!"

Gao Zongchang frowned and asked:

"How many times have they done this in the past three months?"

"This is the fifth time. General Wang has always been very careful and cautious. The defense line of Yecheng has been built for more than ten years. It is absolutely impregnable and foolproof!" Yang Yuanze said confidently:

Gao Zongchang was silent for a while before he slowly said:
"I hope so!"

·······································
·······································
Yijing, Governor's Mansion

As the sun sets, Pei Zhixiu, who had finished a day's work at Changshan Medical Clinic, returned to her residence with her maid Xiaohuan. However, what Pei Zhixiu did not expect was that a smiling figure was waiting for her at the gate of her yard.

Looking at Murong Qingwu in front of the door, Pei Zhixiu frowned slightly and asked:

"How did you come?"

Although Pei Zhixiu's words sounded a little cold, the smile on Murong Qingwu's face did not change at all, and she just said to herself:

"Sister Pei, won't you invite me in to sit down?"

Pei Zhixiu seemed helpless when she heard this, but since Murong Qingwu was already at the door, she couldn't chase her away. She could only open the gate and invite Murong Qingwu into the room.

Walking into Pei Zhixiu's courtyard, Murong Qingwu seemed to be very interested in the colorful flowers and plants. She stood in front of the flower bed and admired them carefully. Pei Zhixiu ignored her and returned to the house and put away his medicine box.

Murong Qingwu wanted to take the opportunity to find a topic, but when she saw Pei Zhixiu didn't give her this chance, she didn't get angry and walked into the house. Although she didn't like Murong Qingwu's visit today, they were sisters after all and lived in the Ye Mansion so they would see each other every day. So Pei Zhixiu still asked her maid Xiao Huan to serve Murong Qingwu double the amount of fragrant tea...

Picking up the teacup and tasting it, Murong Qingwu's beautiful eyes showed a hint of surprise, and she couldn't help but say:
"Sister Pei, your tea has both the richness of Tieguanyin and the fragrance of Longjing. It's really magical!"

Facing Murong Qingwu's praise, Pei Zhixiu said calmly:
"It's just wild tea from the mountains. It's not worthy of being served on the table. I'm sorry to embarrass you, Sister Murong!" Listening to Pei Zhixiu's indifferent words, Murong Qingwu knew that Pei Zhixiu had already noticed the intention of her visit. However, Murong Qingwu did not back down. Instead, she became more active and took the initiative to find topics to chat with Pei Zhixiu. After an incense stick of time, Pei Zhixiu obviously showed impatience, and she left slowly.

Looking at Murong Qingwu's gradually receding back, Xiaohuan, who had been serving beside her, said to Pei Zhixiu in confusion:

"Madam, did Madam Murong come all the way here just to chat with you? This rich young lady is really free!"

Picking up the teacup and taking a sip, Pei Zhixiu said lightly:
"She didn't come here today to say something to me, but to let everyone see that she came to have a secret conversation with me!"

"commune?"

Xiao Huan was very surprised. She couldn't understand how what Murong Qingwu just said was related to the word "confidential talk".

Pei Zhixiu did not explain, but picked up the teacup and sipped it slowly. Although she did not like An Miaoyi’s calculations, it did not mean that she would stand on Murong Qingwu’s side. She helped Murong Qingwu and Ye Mingsheng to break the window paper before, just because she did not want to see An Miaoyi dominate the Ye Mansion and cover the sky with one hand...
Now as a doctor, seeing An Miaoyi's sickly appearance, Pei Zhixiu's dissatisfaction and disgust towards her were reduced a lot.

Pei Zhixiu is still very satisfied with her current life and doesn't want any changes. She doesn't want to compete for favor like those women. It is already good enough for Ye Mingsheng to have a place for her in his heart. She just wants to be alone in this huge Ye Mansion, saving lives and healing the wounded in the clinic every day and doing what she likes.

Therefore, she was not going to get involved in the fight between An Miaoyi and Murong Qingwu. Whoever had better skills would take the position. She just hoped that this matter would not involve her. Thinking of this, Pei Zhixiu's gaze towards the maid Xiaohuan beside her became profound.

····························
····························
Northern border of Hebei and Henan

At the Henan Army camp on Heqi Ridge, Sun Ergou, a small soldier of the Henan Army, was holding a long spear, yawning and looking at the Youyan territory in the distance with boredom. At this time, on the other side of the mountain, dust was flying everywhere, and bursts of loud shouts of killing could be heard.

"Destroy the rebellion! Serve the Marshal!"

"kill!"

"kill!"

·······
·······
Feeling the passion revealed in the shouts and screams, Sun Ergou muttered:

"How much money does the Fengwu Army offer? Let these bastards train like this every day. If you like to tell you to go home and torture me here, fuck your mother!"

As a soldier guarding the border, Sun Ergou, like most people, was fed up with the Fengwu Army. These Fengwu Army came to the border for training whenever they had nothing to do. At the beginning, the Henan Army was very nervous, thinking that the Fengwu Army was going to attack, but they never expected that the Fengwu Army was all talk and no action and was just hanging around outside.

After several rounds of this, the Henan Army guarding the border began to become numb and were even unwilling to defend. After all, the Fengwu Army would not really attack. However, under the urging of orders from above, the Henan Army soldiers stationed on the border could only be forced into a state of readiness for war.

Li Mazi, the soldier standing next to Sun Ergou, heard Sun Ergou's complaint and seemed to remember something and said with emotion:

"I'm telling you, Brother Ergou, if I could get the silver from the Fengwu Army, I'd scream every day!"

This really aroused Sun Ergou's interest. He nudged Li Mazi and said:

"Do you know how much money the Fengwu Army offered?"

Li Mazi chuckled and said in a very mysterious voice:
“My second uncle’s family lives near Zhuo County. Half a year ago, my Fengwu Army was recruiting soldiers, and my second uncle’s cousin went to eat the emperor’s food. A few days ago, my second uncle came to visit my relatives and told my father that the treatment in the Fengwu Army is very good. Not only can we have a full meal every day, but we also have meat every few days. In addition, the annual military salary of three taels of silver is paid on time. Every month, ten kilograms of food and some fruits and vegetables are distributed to the family. In addition, the family’s land tax is also reduced by 20%...”

Sun Ergou was stunned when he heard this. He said in disbelief:

"Is this true? Can you be so well paid for working for the Fengwu Army?"

In response to Sun Ergou's doubts, Li Mazi said with certainty:
"How could what my second uncle said be false? Otherwise, why do you think the Fengwu Army trains so hard every day?
"The Fengwu Army is completely different from our Henan Army. We have nothing but steamed bread every day. Our military pay has been in arrears for more than five months. It is said that our military pay has been used to build a garden and play with women for our Marshal Gao. How can we get money to pay our military pay?"

Hearing Li Mazi's resolute and unquestionable tone, Sun Ergou no longer doubted it and said indignantly:

"Damn it! He was a soldier and risked his life, how come there is such a big gap? I have been a soldier for so many years and I haven't even saved enough money to marry a wife!"

Patting Sun Ergou on the shoulder, Li Mazi said comfortingly:

"Brother Ergou, stop complaining! If the military court hears us, we'll both be finished! There's no hope in this life. In the next life, let's follow a good commander like Marshal Ye. At least he can eat the dry food and leave some for his brothers!"

Just as the two brothers Sun Ergou and Li Mazi were lamenting the unfairness of fate, the shouting and killing of the Fengwu Army on the other side of the hill gradually subsided.

Seeing this, the soldiers of the Henan Army in the mountain stronghold were planning to retreat to rest as usual. However, at this moment, there was a sudden loud noise in the sky. Just when everyone was curious about why there was thunder in the clear sky, dozens of artillery shells hit the Henan Army stronghold in the next second. The Henan Army soldiers were caught off guard and were blown to pieces.

After the bombardment, the ground began to tremble. The Fengwu Army cavalry, who had never stepped out of line in the past, were now rushing over with murderous smiles on their faces...
(End of this chapter)