Chapter 632: Changes in Licheng! (Part )
Facing Yin Biao's doubtful eyes, Sun Jingan said calmly but confidently:
“If the Fengwu Army had not suffered heavy casualties in Hebei and Henan, they would have already marched into Qi and Lu, instead of negotiating with us now…”

Yin Biao was stunned at first, then he nodded as he thought it made sense. Seeing this, Sun Jingan continued to encourage him:

"The population of Jiyu is greater than that of Youyan and Liaoyang combined. It will take some time for the Fengwu Army to digest it. Shangguan Hongyuan is ready to make a move in Yunbing area. The Yunbing war is bound to break out next year. Ye Mingsheng can't take care of the situation in Qilu at all!"

"As long as we are willing to submit, the Fengwu Army will not do anything to us. At that time, Brother Yin, you will be the general of Qi and Lu and lead the Qi Army, and I will be the governor. The two of us, one civil and one military, will govern Qi and Lu together and bring peace to the people. Isn't that a great thing?"

"The situation in Qi and Lu is now here. If Cao Changping is not dead, none of us will be at peace. He will definitely want to continue fighting with the Fengwu Army. Duan Yanfeng is completely defeated this time. It is very likely that you, Brother Yin, will lead the troops to fight next time. Do you want to fight the Fengwu Army?"

In response to Sun Jing'an's question, Yin Biao did not say anything but his face became even gloomier. Although he disliked Duan Yanfeng very much, as a veteran of the battlefield, he knew that Duan Yanfeng had done everything he could on the battlefield. If he were to command this battle, he could not do better than Duan Yanfeng.

Seeing Yin Biao not saying anything, Sun Jingan was a little disappointed, and then he played the last chip in his hand.

“Brother Yin, you only have one chance. Don’t miss it. Because you haven’t given me a reply yet, the Fengwu Army has decided to contact other people. I don’t care, but you are different…”

As soon as these words were spoken, Yin Biao's expression immediately became serious. Although he, Yin Biao, had a lot of power in the army and a group of people he trusted, it did not mean that he was the only one who had this advantage. If he allowed others to seize the opportunity and reach a cooperation with the Fengwu Army, then he, Yin Biao, would be likely to be purged!

After another moment of silence, he asked Sun Jingan:
"Then how do we solve the problem of war reparations and our prisoners of war?"

Sun Jingan said without hesitation:
"The Fengwu Army has already promised that as long as we overthrow Cao Changping and surrender to the Fengwu Army, the war reparations will be written off and all our prisoners of war can be released. In addition, the Fengwu Army can even provide us with a sum of money and food. As for the specific amount of money and food, we need to discuss it in detail with the Fengwu Army after we take power!"

"The conditions of the Fengwu Army are so good?" Yin Biao asked in surprise:
He thought that after surrendering to the Fengwu Army, the Fengwu Army would use this opportunity to ask them for a large sum of money and food, but he never expected that the Fengwu Army would actually be willing to support them with money and food.

Sun Jingan smiled and nodded and said:

"Brother Yin, our Qilu is a big province after all. Even though many people have left in recent years, the total population is almost the same as Youyan and Liaoyang combined. The territory is not smaller than Youyan. If we join the Fengwu Army now and the Fengwu Army gives us some benefits, they will get a great deal!"

Yin Biao's eyes flashed with ruthlessness when he heard this. He nodded heavily at Sun Jingan and said:

"Since Cao Changping is unkind, don't blame me for being unjust. I did this thing..."

After receiving Yin Biao's affirmative answer, Sun Jing'an's face suddenly showed a hint of joy, and he immediately said:

"There is no time to lose! Brother Yin, let's take action tonight!"

Yin Biao was a little surprised when he heard this. Although he made the final decision after Sun Jingan's persuasion, he did not expect that Sun Jingan was so anxious and wanted to take action tonight, but he had not prepared anything!
Seeing the hesitation on Yin Biao's face, Sun Jingan persuaded:

"Brother Yin, Meng Qingxing and Wang He are in the city right now. If we capture Cao Changping tonight, we can take these two people into custody. In this way, their troops will be leaderless and we can control them at our will."

"And most importantly, didn't your brother Xie Wei transfer to Licheng last month? He has 3,000 troops under his command. Fan Shan from the City Defense Department is my man, and he has 1,000 troops under his command. The total number of troops stationed in Licheng now does not exceed 10,000. We have nearly 50% of their manpower! This is a godsend opportunity!"

After hearing Sun Jingan's analysis, Yin Biao realized the opportunity before him. He thought about it seriously and then gritted his teeth and said:
"Alright! The longer the night, the more trouble there is. Tonight is the night!"

After receiving Yin Biao's affirmative answer, Sun Jingan told him all his plans:

“At three o'clock tonight, I will arrange for people to set fire to the city. Then, Brother Yin, you will lead your troops to Cao's mansion under the pretext of protecting Cao Changping. When you see Cao Changping, kill him without mercy. Then, put the blame on Meng Qingxing and Wang He. I will send people to capture them, and they will not be able to explain themselves. This matter will be considered a success…”

After careful consideration, Yin Biao felt that there was nothing wrong with Sun Jingan's plan. He took a deep breath and said in a deep voice:

"Okay! I, Yin, am determined to do this tonight!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Jingan patted Yin Biao on the shoulder and said with a smile:
"Brother Yin, rest assured. By this time tomorrow, Qilu will be ruled by you and me!"

After planning everything, Yin Biao did not stay in the Sun Mansion for long. He also had to go find his sworn brother Fan Shan. The three thousand troops under Fan Shan's command were the most important part of this plan, and he had to control them personally.

After Yin Biao left, Sun Jing'an sat on a chair and drank tea by himself. After a while, no one knew what the Licheng prefect was thinking of. His originally calm expression suddenly turned ferocious. He forcibly crushed the precious tea bowl in his hand into pieces, and then, regardless of the blood flowing from his palm pierced by the porcelain fragments, he muttered viciously:
“If I kill Cao Changping tonight, it will be your turn tomorrow, you whore. I will make your whole family regret why you treated me like this!” The reason why Sun Jingan wanted to take action tonight, in addition to the reasons he analyzed with Yin Biao, there was another reason hidden in his heart, and that was to take revenge on Cao Changping and his wife Cao. Sun Jingan always believed that his shortcomings were inseparable from Cao’s contempt for him after Cao Changping became successful. This brought Sun Jingan deep inferiority in his heart, and also made him have a strong idea of ​​revenge······················
Before, because Cao Changping had not shown any signs of weakness, Sun Jing'an could only hide his thoughts silently in his heart, wear the green hat on his head, and endure the contempt and ridicule of his colleagues and subordinates. However, Su Yi's instigation and encouragement made him realize that he could rely on the Fengwu Army to take revenge on the Cao family.

The fire of revenge grew bigger and bigger in Sun Jingan's heart, burning more and more vigorously. He couldn't wait to see that whore kneeling at his feet and begging for mercy, and then watching him kill their entire family. Sun Jingan believed that the feeling at that moment would be so wonderful that he was willing to bet everything in his life on it, no matter what it took!

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Yijing, Governor's Mansion

In the study, Ye Mingsheng, leaning back in his chair, was listening quietly to Wang Xuecheng's report.

"Reporting to the Marshal, the cleanup plan in Jiyu is now nearing completion. The bandit leader Feng Sanxi and 181 others have been executed at the Yujing Caishikou. In this plan, our army has obtained more than 3.1 million taels of silver, nearly 1.7 million dan of grain, 50,000 taels of gold, and other gold, silver, and jewelry. There are more than 3,000 pieces, porcelain, antiques, calligraphy and paintings, and more than 10,000 pieces of collectibles!"

"According to your instructions, in order to appease the gentry in Hebei and Henan, our army returned about half of the porcelain, antiques, calligraphy and paintings, 30% of the gold, silver and jewelry, and more than 300,000 taels of silver. At present, our army's warehouses in Hebei and Henan have a total of 2.8 million taels of silver and 1.7 million dan of grain. As for the 50,000 taels of gold, according to your instructions, it has been loaded and shipped back to Yijing. It will be delivered in about five days!"

"As for the Gao family, under our active persuasion, they are willing to donate all their land in Yujing and most of their property to our army free of charge. Their entire family has also set off for Liaoyang, preparing to settle there!"

Listening to Wang Xuecheng's report, Ye Mingsheng felt very emotional. Although he had long known that these gentry families in Hebei and Henan were very rich, to be honest, Ye Mingsheng was still shocked to get such a figure.

After taking a deep look at Wang Xuecheng, Ye Mingsheng said calmly:
"Have you saved your share?"

After hearing this, Wang Xuecheng smiled awkwardly. He knew that with the "inner guards" there, he and Huo San's little tricks could not be hidden from Ye Mingsheng.

Although the amount of money and grain seized in the cleanup plan was huge, Ye Mingsheng was very clear that even such a number was only left over by the General Coordination Office. However, according to the report from the Internal Security Bureau, Wang Xuecheng and Huo San also knew that their spies were watching them, so they did not do anything too excessive and just picked up some leftovers.

Therefore, Ye Mingsheng did not intend to pursue the matter. After all, if the water is too clear, there will be no fish. Intelligence departments like the Coordination Office were engaged in shameful activities, and it was unrealistic to expect all of them to become honest officials. Moreover, the Coordination Office had made a huge contribution to the capture of Hebei and Henan this time. If they had not organized the rebel army in the early stage of the war and attracted the energy of the Henan Army, the war in Hebei and Henan would not have ended so quickly.

"Don't eat alone!" Ye Mingsheng warned Wang Xuecheng:
In response to Ye Mingsheng's warning, Wang Xuecheng nodded repeatedly and said:

"We have already distributed the brothers' portions in your name, sir. Please rest assured!"

Ye Mingsheng nodded in satisfaction after hearing this. After pondering for a moment, he looked at Wang Xuecheng and asked:
"I heard that you gave Xu Zhaojie a big gift at the celebration banquet for his entry into the city..."

Wang Xuecheng smiled bitterly and nodded, saying helplessly:

"That bastard Xu Zhaojie was lucky. The explosion only broke two of his fingers, but didn't kill him!"

He had prepared for this assassination for a long time. Before Xu Zhaojie broke through Shouchun City, he realized that the fall of Shouchun was only a matter of time, so he specially arranged for people to enter Tianquan Pavilion, the most famous restaurant in Shouchun City, to bet on where Xu Zhaojie would hold a celebration party. As expected, he guessed right. However, Xu Zhaojie was really lucky. Facing the grenade thrown at him, he quickly pulled a meat shield to block most of the damage for him.

Although compared with the previous assassination attempts, this time not only did they kill Xu Zhaojie in front of him, but they also cut off two of Xu Zhaojie's fingers. This was already a great improvement, but when he thought of the promise he had made to Ye Mingsheng before, Wang Xuecheng still felt a little embarrassed, so he did not take the initiative to mention this matter to Ye Mingsheng.

Listening to Wang Xuecheng's story, a playful smile emerged on Ye Mingsheng's face. He didn't have much hope for Wang Xuecheng's assassination this time, so he was not disappointed. If Xu Zhaojie was so easy to assassinate, this bastard would have died countless times. And when he thought that Xu Zhaojie only had eight fingers left, Ye Mingsheng found it very funny.

Seeing that Ye Mingsheng didn’t seem very angry, Wang Xuecheng boldly introduced the details of the situation to Ye Mingsheng...

"Reporting to the Lord, the people in charge of this mission are the secret agents of the Coordination Office in Shouchun. They are our army's death squads and are not subordinate to the secret agents in the Anqing Army. Both sides are unaware of each other's existence. After the assassination, the three of them committed suicide by taking poison, and the Anqing Army did not catch them alive!"

"Although the Anqing Army conducted a cleanup in Shouchun after this incident, our informants have gone underground. The Anqing Army only caught a few insignificant small fry. Once the storm has died down, the Shouchun branch can resume operations."

"The only strange thing is that Xu Zhaojie should have known that the assassination was done by our Coordination Office, but he framed the Feng family and executed more than 3,000 people from the Feng family and their related families. The blood once dyed the Huai River red!"

Upon hearing this, the smile on Ye Mingsheng's face became three times more intense. He knew that Xu Zhaojie was in a state of impotence and rage. If he publicly said that he was the one who did it, then Xu Zhaojie would definitely retaliate against him. However, he did not have the ability to do so now. So if he just talked big without taking any actual action, then this would undoubtedly hurt his prestige and his face!
Therefore, Marquis Zhenyuan of the Great Zhou, who had no way out of his situation, could only vent his immense rage on the poor Feng family, letting this group of innocent people silently bear the blame...

(End of this chapter)