Chapter 640 The Bai brothers!

Watching the backs of the Bai brothers going upstairs, Ye Mingsheng narrowed his eyes slightly, and then gave Ye Kui a look······················

Although Ye Mingsheng said nothing, Ye Kui understood Ye Mingsheng's thoughts and immediately instructed a guard beside him:
"Liu Hu, go up and listen to what they are saying!"

"Yes!"

After receiving the order, Liu Hu immediately followed the Bai brothers and went upstairs quietly.

The Bai brothers who entered the private room at this time had no idea that Ye Mingsheng was downstairs, and they were still chatting in the room as if no one was around.

"Brother, this Chenji Teahouse is the best teahouse in Yijing. It has the best Tieguanyin and Maojian in Yijing. You can have a good taste today!" Bai Changjiu, who worked as an experienced person in the Chief Secretary, smiled and said to the sturdy man in front of him:
The burly man Bai Changrong seemed to be a little interested when he heard this and said:

“The best Tieguanyin?”

"I heard that Ye Hongsheng, the shopkeeper of Da Dongsheng, knew that our Marshal liked to drink this Tieguanyin, so he specially sent people to Lingnan to spend a lot of effort to purchase the best Tieguanyin. It is said that the aroma of the tea made the Marshal very satisfied. Could it be that Chenji Teahouse has the same kind?"

Bai Changjiu felt a little embarrassed when he heard this, but he could only say honestly:
“Of course it can’t be compared with the Tieguanyin that Da Dongsheng presented to the Marshal. It is said that the annual output of that Tieguanyin in Lingnan is only a dozen kilograms. Ye Hongsheng took great pains to bring back three kilograms for the Marshal. Naturally, this Chenji Teahouse doesn’t have that tea. What I mean is that the Tieguanyin here is the best that you and I can drink…”

Bai Changrong nodded slightly when he heard this, with a hint of disappointment in his eyes. Although he was a military general, he was influenced by his father Bai Wanhao since he was a child and he also loved tea tasting. Among all the teas, his favorite was Tieguanyin, which was also an important reason why Bai Changjiu brought him here.

Bai Changrong has always been fascinated by the rumored top-quality Tieguanyin and longed for a chance to taste it. However, that kind of top-quality Tieguanyin was divided up by various dignitaries almost as soon as it was produced, and it was not something that Bai Changrong could get his hands on, so Bai Changrong has always felt quite regretful about it.

Soon the food was brought up by the waiter, and the Bai brothers chatted for a while while listening to the storytelling downstairs. After an incense stick of time, Bai Changjiu hesitated for a moment, looked at his eldest brother and said:
"I have a good friend who works in the General Staff. When we were drinking a few days ago, he told me that there is a high probability that there will be a big war next year, and it is very likely that the battle will be fought on the Western and Southern Fronts. The General Staff has been preparing for this recently, and it is very likely that they will expand the army!"

Hearing his second brother talking about this, Bai Changrong's expression became a little serious. He was the general of the Fengwu Army in Dongning, with two battalions of more than 5,000 soldiers under his command. Judging from the official rank, there were not many people higher than him in the Fengwu Army. However, Bai Changrong felt that he had reached the ceiling of his career.

In the promotion of the Fengwu Army, military exploits are extremely important. If one wants to be an important general, one needs real military exploits as support. Bai Changrong did not develop with the Fengwu Army from the beginning. He was originally a commander under Song Wenhui in Liaoyang. Later, in the civil war in Liaoyang, Song Wenhui was defeated and Bai Changrong defected to the Fengwu Army. Later, thanks to Bai Yuanyuan becoming Ye Mingsheng’s concubine, Ye Mingsheng promoted him all the way to be the general of Dongning...
Although he held a high official position in the Fengwu Army, Bai Changrong, who had defected to the army, had never fought in any wars. He had only undertaken some operations to suppress bandits. Therefore, in the Fengwu Army, many people secretly believed that Bai Changrong was able to serve as the General of Dongning entirely because of nepotism and the help of his sister Bai Yuanyuan. Some people even secretly said that he had a capable and good sister.

Because this matter involved Ye Mingsheng, everyone in the army kept silent and no one dared to bring this matter up, but Bai Changrong was not a fool and naturally heard these rumors. Although he knew very well that these rumors were true, he was appointed the General of Dongning to a large extent because Ye Mingsheng let him take the position for the sake of his sister.

But as a tall and strong man, Bai Changrong is also a man of blood. He longs for an opportunity to prove to those weird people in the Fengwu Army that, in addition to having a good sister, he is also capable and can establish merits on the battlefield. Therefore, he also hopes to be transferred to the field army to prove himself.

Bai Changrong's father, Bai Wanhao, was also very pleased with his idea. This old man, who was over fifty years old, had always had a wish, which was to build the Bai family into one of those powerful families. However, because he himself was old and had no way to make further progress in the officialdom, he placed his hopes on his two sons, letting them, one literary and one martial, support the family's glory...
Because building a powerful family requires the joint efforts of several generations, and Bai Wanhao, who is half buried in the ground, obviously cannot see this, so the old man has a more specific goal, which is to hope that his eldest son Bai Wanhao, who is a military general, can be granted a title of nobility and become a hereditary marquis.

If one wants to become a marquis, he can only achieve it on the battlefield. It is obviously impossible to achieve this by hiding in Dongning, the rear base of the Fengwu Army, and just suppressing bandits on weekdays. Therefore, the father and son, who reached a consensus, began to make efforts to get Bai Changrong to come to the field army.

Because the Fengwu Army suffered heavy losses on the battlefield, both generals and ordinary soldiers, the Fengwu Army strongly supported the soldiers of the garrison troops in the rear who took the initiative to apply to join the field troops, and the reporting and approval procedures were simplified accordingly.

However, Bai Changrong was a different story. He was the general of Dongning and one of the most senior generals in the Fengwu Army. If he came to the field army, he should have been assigned a chief or deputy position at the division level.

However, the Fengwu Army currently has only seven divisions, and there are only fourteen positions at the division level, and Bai Changrong has no real combat record, so according to convention, it is impossible for him to be a principal. So there are only seven deputy positions left. But even these deputy positions are all filled. Only the newly reorganized Seventh Division has one vacant position...
This vacant position became the target of the Bai family's father and son, and they were working secretly for it. However, for such a vacant deputy division-level position, countless commanders with outstanding military achievements in the Fengwu Army were eyeing this position. These people were trying their best to win in this competition without the smoke of gunpowder. Compared with these people, Bai Changrong had no advantages except that he had a sister who was Ye Mingsheng's concubine.

After taking a deep breath, Bai Changrong said to his second brother beside him:
"This time when I came to Yijing, in addition to reporting to the Marshal as usual, I also plan to ask the Marshal to transfer me to the field troops. Even if I can be a commander, I, Bai Changrong, will accept it!"

Bai Changjiu was also surprised when he felt his elder brother's determination. In the Fengwu Army, it was a natural barrier to be promoted to deputy division commander. If you pass it, you will be a senior general who can rule a region. Countless commanders in the Fengwu Army were stuck at this stage, suffering and unable to make any progress. Now his elder brother actually wanted to retreat. This was a huge sacrifice for him. After hesitating for a while, he asked Bai Changrong:

"Brother, have you discussed this matter with our father?"

Bai Changrong shook his head and said:
"Not yet! But I've decided!"

Seeing this, Bai Changjiu immediately advised:

“Brother, this matter is of great importance. You must not be impulsive. You should discuss it carefully with our father. The position of General of Dongning is also a lucrative position in the Fengwu Army. Many people are eyeing this position…”

"Brother, if you give up this position, it will soon be taken by someone else, and you won't be able to regret it then! In my opinion, the war is coming, and the expansion of our army is a foregone conclusion. Brother, you don't need to be so anxious!" Facing his second brother Bai Changjiu's admonition, Bai Changrong smiled bitterly, picked up the teacup on the table, drank it all, and said:

"I know this, but I'm almost 40 years old this year. If I don't seize the opportunity now, I won't have much time left! Although the days in Dongning are comfortable, they will really make people tired!"

After saying this, Bai Changrong patted his belly and said helplessly:
"It's only been a few years, and I already have so much fat on my belly. I used to be able to draw a hard bow of one stone, but now I can't do that at all. I have to gasp for breath after walking a few miles. If I continue like this in Dongning, I'm afraid I won't have the motivation to fight on the front line. You and I both know our father's wish. His health is not very good. I don't want him to meet our Bai family's ancestors with regrets!"

“Besides, seeing others making great military achievements on the front lines, I feel itchy inside. Although I, Bai Changrong, have never fought any earth-shattering battles in my life, I have learned the art of war since I was young and have been in the army for decades. In Liaoyang over the years, I have fought at least eighty battles, if not a hundred. I am not much worse than others. Zhang Meng, Ma Zhongjun, Gu Shouting, these kids who haven’t even fully grown their hair can all become generals, so there is no problem for me, Bai Changrong…”

Listening to his elder brother's voice, Bai Changjiu hesitated for a moment and said:
"Then let Third Sister help you with the negotiations. It's a bit unreasonable for a general like you to be a commander!"

Bai Changrong shook his head and warned:
"Do you think our commander-in-chief is a soft-hearted person?"

"Besides, Yuanyuan has made great efforts for you and me to have our current positions. It is not easy for Yuanyuan to work in the Governor's Mansion, and the Marshal does not favor her too much, so we brothers should try not to trouble her if we can!"

Hearing what his elder brother said, Bai Changjiu nodded and said with some emotion:

"Brother is right. It is not easy for Yuanyuan to stay in the Governor's Mansion. We two brothers really owe her a lot!"

Looking at the storyteller who was telling the story diligently in the audience, Bai Changrong was silent for a while. After a moment, he said to Bai Changjiu in a very serious manner:
"The situation on the front line is tense, so my request should be granted this time. When I leave, our family will be handed over to you, my second brother. You have to take good care of our father. I heard that the higher-ups intend to invite great scholars to open an academy in Yijing. Your eldest nephew Enshou has just reached the age to start school, so we still need your help to run it!"

Seeing that Bai Changrong had made up his mind, Bai Changjiu nodded and promised:

"Don't worry, big brother. This is what I, your second brother, should do!"

Bai Changrong felt relieved after hearing this. Then he seemed to have thought of something. After hesitating for a while, he handed two letters from his arms to Bai Changjiu and said in a deep voice:

"If I don't come back, you give one of these two letters to our father and the other to your sister-in-law..."

After hearing these words, Bai Changjiu's expression froze. He looked at his brother who was making arrangements for his funeral, waved his hand and said:

"Brother, I can help you with other things, but you should do this yourself!"

Bai Changrong heard this and said in a deep voice:

"On the battlefield, swords and guns are blind and life and death are determined by fate. No one knows what will happen. Since I am going there, I must be prepared for the worst. Second brother, you should keep these two letters, otherwise I will not be at peace when I leave."

After Bai Changjiu hesitated for a while after hearing what his elder brother said, he finally sighed and took the two letters, but still said to Bai Changrong:

"Brother, you must take good care of yourself on the battlefield. Our father and sister-in-law Enshou are waiting for you!"

Bai Changrong laughed at this, patted Bai Changjiu on the shoulder and said:

"Don't worry, second brother. Have you forgotten that blind man told us when we were little that I would live to be eighty? The blind man was really accurate, but because he revealed too many secrets, I ended up living alone in my fifties!"

After comforting Bai Changrong, seeing that they had almost rested, the Bai brothers left. Liu Hu, who had been eavesdropping on the conversation, told Ye Mingsheng exactly what he had heard. Knowing Bai Changrong's feelings, Ye Mingsheng looked up to his cheap brother-in-law.

Although he didn't know how capable Bai Changrong was, Ye Mingsheng still admired his ambition!
However, this does not mean that Ye Mingsheng will let him be the deputy commander of the Seventh Division. After all, Bai has not fought any big battles for a long time. If he is asked to do it directly, firstly, he will not be able to win the support of the army, and secondly, it will be irresponsible to the soldiers of the Seventh Division!
As for the appointment and dismissal of Bai Changrong, Ye Mingsheng needs to think carefully before making a decision. After listening to the storyteller finishes this part, Ye Mingsheng asked Ye Kui to give him a reward and then prepared to leave. He had a good time today and now it is time to go back to work... However, what Ye Mingsheng did not expect was that when he stood up and was about to leave, a timid voice came to his ears.

"Sir, please stay. May I ask if you were the one who dealt with Zhao Sheng?"

(End of this chapter)