Chapter 605 Untitled!

Looking at Pei Zhixiu who looked so calm, Xiaohuan whispered with some envy:

"Madam, you are really strong. You are not hurt at all on such a rugged mountain road..."

Pei Zhixiu said calmly:
"It's nothing. You can do this if you walk often! The mountain road I took to collect herbs before was several times steeper than this Xiaofeng Mountain!"

Xiao Huan nodded as if she understood something. While the master and servant were talking, Ye Cui, who was walking at the front of the team, asked Ye Cheng beside her:
"How far is it?"

Ye Cheng, who was following carefully, heard this and said quickly:

"It's on the hill ahead, about two miles away!"

After saying this, he looked at Ye Cui's exhausted face and suggested carefully:
"Madam, should we take a break first?"

Ye Cheng also complained bitterly about Ye Cui's sudden change of mind. As Ye Mingsheng's attendant officer, he also served as the steward of the Ye Mansion. This time, Ye Mingsheng did not take him with him when he went to the battle in Ji and Yu, so he left him in the mansion to take care of his family.

After the matter of paying homage to the cenotaph was confirmed, Ye Cheng was put in charge of the specific implementation. Ye Cheng was a member of the Ye family, and Ye Cui, Ye Mingsheng's biological mother, could be said to be the biggest supporter of the Ye family in the Fengwu Army. So when it came to Ye Cui's wish to pay homage to her late husband, Ye Cheng could be said to be the one who cared the most...

He personally traveled around Yijing for more than ten days before finally determining Xiaofeng Mountain as the location of the cenotaph. Then, he took a Feng Shui master and craftsmen to choose a Feng Shui treasure land with beautiful scenery that would bring good fortune to his descendants to build the cenotaph. For safety reasons, he also went to coordinate with the military and asked them to send troops to surround Xiaofeng Mountain and conduct a carpet search to kill all large animals such as wild boars to prevent these animals from colliding with the women of the Ye family during the memorial service.

Ye Cheng thought that he had done everything foolproof, and was just waiting to praise himself when things were over. However, he never expected that Ye Cui would have to walk up the mountain in the end. This was really beyond Ye Cheng's expectations, because he had previously assumed that Ye Cui and other female relatives would go up the mountain in sedan chairs, so when choosing the location of the cenotaph, he did not consider the factor of going up the mountain at all, but picked the best feng shui site on the top of the mountain. He never expected that it would become a failure now!
Facing Ye Cheng's suggestion, Ye Cui didn't say anything. Although she wanted to walk to her late husband's cenotaph in one breath, she had overestimated her physical strength. Now she was exhausted and very tired. Seeing that Ye Cui didn't say anything, An Miaoyi behind her gave Ye Cui a chance and said:
"Mother, the sisters are all tired, please let them rest for a while!"

After this was said, Ye Cui reluctantly allowed everyone to rest on the side of the road. Hearing the order to rest, Pei Zhixiu found a stone to sit on, took out the canteen from his waist and drank, his eyes fell on a weak figure in the team...

After hesitating for a while, Pei Zhixiu walked over, took out a snuff bottle from his medicine box, handed it over and said:
"Smell it! It'll make you feel better!"

Shen Yutong, whose face was pale, looked a little surprised when she saw Pei Zhixiu's action. After hesitating for a moment, she still followed Pei Zhixiu's advice, took out the snuff bottle and smelled it. She didn't know what magical herbs Pei Zhixiu put in the snuff bottle. After Shen Yutong smelled it for a while, the pain on her face was relieved a lot.

Shen Yutong, who had recovered, handed the snuff bottle to Pei Zhixiu and said softly:

"Thank you!"

Pei Zhixiu did not take back the snuff bottle, but said calmly:
"No hurry, it won't be too late to return it to me when you get back to the mansion!"

After saying that, Pei Zhixiu turned and left, not giving Shen Yutong a chance to refuse. Shen Yutong, who felt Pei Zhixiu's kindness, could only look at Pei Zhixiu with gratitude. The matter between Pei Zhixiu and Shen Yutong did not attract the attention of many people, but it was seen by Murong Qingwu.

Ever since she married into the Ye Mansion, Murong Qingwu has been wanting to find her good friend Shen Yutong, but Shen Yutong always claimed to be ill and refused to see her. This time, when the female family members went out together to pay tribute to Ye Mingsheng's deceased husband, it was the first time she saw Shen Yutong since entering the Ye Mansion.

After resting for an incense stick of time, the women continued to head towards the top of the mountain. This time they reached the top of the mountain in one go.

Although she was exhausted, when she saw the grand, simple, yet exquisite cenotaph of her late husband, Ye Cui's eyes were filled with surprise...
Because everyone was very tired and the livestock and utensils used for the memorial ceremony had already been prepared, the memorial ceremony began quickly.

After going through a lot of formalities, Murong Qingwu, Pei Zhixiu and other concubines knelt on the ground, while Ye Cui asked An Miaoyi to hold Ye Jingren and stand with her in front of the cenotaph. Looking at the tombstone of her late husband Ye De in front of her, Ye Cui said with tears in her eyes:
"My husband, before you died, you asked me to train Mingsheng well, so that the Ye family could also produce a fifth-rank official to bring honor to the family. Our Mingsheng has now become the second-rank governor of Yan and Liao, a frontier official of the Great Zhou Dynasty. It's a pity that you didn't see this day. If you could see this, you would definitely be very happy!"

After a few more words, Ye Cui introduced An Miaoyi and Ye Jingren. An Miaoyi also said to her father-in-law very respectfully, "Be filial to your mother-in-law, assist your husband, love your young son, and be a good wife to Ye Mingsheng." At the end, Ye Cui turned to the main topic and murmured to her late husband's tomb:
"My dear husband, Mingsheng has gone to the Central Plains to fight! Before he left, Mingsheng told me that this battle would be very easy and he would be back in a month or so, so I shouldn't worry. But I heard that Gao Zongchang, the commander of Yujing, who is stationed in Hebei and Henan, has been operating in Hebei and Henan for decades and is a tough enemy. So my dear husband, please bless Mingsheng in this battle and make sure he returns safely!"

The reason why Ye Cui insisted on walking up the mountain and even insisted on mobilizing a large army to pay tribute to her late husband was mainly because a mother worries when her son is away from home. What's more, Ye Mingsheng was going to march and fight, and Ye Cui was very worried about him. She was even more worried that something might happen to Ye Mingsheng and he would be beheaded and die in a foreign land.

In the past, when she was in Liaoyang, every time she heard the news that Ye Mingsheng was going to fight, she would want to pay tribute to her late husband and ask him to bless Ye Mingsheng with safety. This time, she habitually used her own method...

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Jiyu, in the General's Mansion in Fengqiu City
"General, what should we do with these Henan Army prisoners in the city?" Cui Desheng, deputy general of the Third Division, asked Guo Zhiping who was in the main seat: Two days ago, after learning through an urgent report that the Anqing Army was about to go north to join the war, Guo Zhiping immediately changed the battle plan according to Ye Mingsheng's instructions and turned to advance towards Fengqiu City in the southeast of Hebei and Henan.

In order to protect Yujing's own nest, Gao Zongchang transferred more than half of the already small number of Fengqiu troops, which made the already under-guarded Fengqiu City even more depleted. It was not expected that the Fengwu Army would cross Yujing City to attack Fengqiu, so it was not until Guo Zhiping's Third Division appeared around Yujing that Fengqiu General Gao Peng hurriedly asked the servants and tenants of the wealthy families in the city to help defend the city.

Because the predecessor of the Third Division was the cavalry of the Fengwu Army. Since its establishment, it has been mainly composed of cavalry and mainly undertook field combat missions. It has almost never had any siege experience. Therefore, neither the generals nor the ordinary soldiers had any experience in siege. Secondly, as a field force, it also lacked the equipment needed for siege. Therefore, this time facing a large city like Fengqiu City with complete fortifications, Guo Zhiping also felt very difficult.

So after careful consideration, Guo Zhiping decided to take advantage of the resentment and dissatisfaction of the people of Hebei and Henan towards the Gao family and adopt the strategy of attacking the heart that Yuan Song used to deal with Zhao Fuqu. He first used the light red cannon he carried to bombard Fengqiu City indiscriminately to deter the enemy psychologically.

Then they used catapults to throw simple and clear leaflets into Fengqiu City, telling the Henan Army and the young and strong men defending the city that they would be spared if they surrendered, and that they would be given land after the war if they surrendered with the leaflets. This immediately undermined the fighting spirit of the soldiers and civilians defending the city, which was already low.

At this time Gao Peng also noticed the existence of the leaflets, and he immediately ordered them to be confiscated. In the process of confiscating them, he also had conflicts with the grassroots officers and soldiers. The ordinary officers and soldiers demanded that the owed military pay be paid, and the conscripted young men demanded tax cuts. While the two sides were arguing, Guo Zhiping seized the opportunity and captured the city in one fell swoop...
In response to Cui Desheng's question, Guo Zhiping said without hesitation:
"The Anqing Army may show up at any time. We don't have the energy to watch over them right now. Let's just release them like we did before!"

After capturing 15,000 Henan troops in the Battle of Sanchaling, Guo Zhiping wanted to follow the usual practice of trying these prisoners before dealing with them.

However, they received an order from Ye Mingsheng to capture Fengqiu and guard against the Anqing Army. Due to the urgency of the situation and the heavy workload, the Third Division could not spare the troops to escort so many prisoners of war. Therefore, Guo Zhiping was very courageous. After promoting the policies of the Fengwu Army to these prisoners of war, he released all the prisoners of war, let them return to their homes, and then led his troops eastward to capture Fengqiu City.

After receiving Guo Zhiping's order, Cui Desheng nodded and went down to do his work. However, after he had taken a few steps, Guo Zhiping stopped him again and asked;
"Have the scouts been deployed?"

Cui Desheng said without hesitation:
"Everything has been deployed. All scouts have been sent out to cover all the border areas between Fengqiu, Bozhou and Anqing. As long as the Anqing army enters the border between Hebei and Henan, they will send the news back immediately!"

After hearing the news, Guo Zhiping nodded with satisfaction and asked Cui Desheng to go down and do the work. Because Xu Zhaojie, the Marquis of Zhenyuan, was so famous, Guo Zhiping, who was always known for his boldness in the Fengwu Army, also became cautious and did not want to give Xu Zhaojie any chance to take advantage of him!

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Qilu, Licheng

In the residence of Sun Jing'an, the prefect of Licheng, six singing girls twisted their graceful bodies and danced for their master and visiting guests!
"Director Su! Let's have a drink! We won't go home until we're drunk tonight!"

Sun Jingan, smiling, raised his glass and said to the handsome young man beside him:

Su Yi, who was sent on a diplomatic mission to Qi and Lu by Ye Mingsheng, also raised his glass and responded with a smile. After three rounds of wine and five dishes, seeing that Sun Jing'an never mentioned the main business, Su Yi couldn't help but sneer in his heart.

Originally, Sun Jing'an was just a down-and-out scholar who worked as an accountant for a county magistrate. However, because he married the sister of Cao Changping, the governor of Qi and Lu, and Cao Changping lost his mother at a young age, the two siblings depended on each other since childhood and had a very good relationship.

Therefore, after Cao Changping rose to power in the land of Qi and Lu by suppressing the uprising, Sun Jing'an's status also rose with the help of his status as his brother-in-law. In less than ten years, he became the prefect of Licheng and became one of the core figures of Cao Changping's regime, with considerable influence on Cao Changping's important decisions.

Precisely because of this, the Coordination Office regarded Sun Jing'an as an important breakthrough point and put a lot of effort into him...

Su Yi took out a small bottle from her arms, pushed it in front of Sun Jingan and said meaningfully:
"Master Sun, this thing can solve some of your minor problems, but it's best not to take it often!"

Hearing Su Yi's words, Sun Jing'an's eyebrows immediately danced with joy. He picked up the bottle, weighed it, frowned and said:

"When did Director Su become so stingy? Why are there only a few?"

Su Yi said helplessly:
"Sir Sun, this medicinal material is very precious. Our Fengwu Army sent many people into the mountains to search for it, but it is hard to find it. Just to make these few pills, hundreds of people searched in the mountains for several months. In addition, the medicinal effect evaporates very quickly. Remember to cover the bottle with a stopper and avoid exposure to sunlight and moisture! Do not take the pills after more than two months!"

After hearing Su Yi's explanation, Sun Jing'an's expression eased a little. He then wrote down the precautions one by one and put the small medicine bottle carefully into his arms. No matter as Cao Changping's brother-in-law or the prefect of Licheng, the powerful Sun Jing'an never lacked money or women.

As long as he coughs, people who are willing to give him gifts can be sent from his home to the city gate of Licheng. Compared with gold, silver and treasures, Sun Jing'an likes women more...

(End of this chapter)