Chapter 654: Zhenyuan Hou’s primary mission!

Although Zhao Hanshu did not mention it at all in his memorial, Xu Zhaojie, who had been in the army for more than ten years, had long heard that many people in the Huainan Navy were dissatisfied with Zhao Hanshu...

Before, because he trusted Zhao Hanshu, Xu Zhaojie felt that Zhao Hanshu could handle the matter well, so Xu Zhaojie did not interfere in this matter.

There is no doubt that this disastrous defeat has shown that Zhao Hanshu has betrayed his trust and completely messed things up!

At the same time, this disastrous defeat will inevitably intensify the dissatisfaction and anger within the Huainan Navy towards Zhao Hanshu!
Thinking of this, Xu Zhaojie picked up a letter from the desk and read it again. The words on the letter were so strong and powerful that they could be seen through the paper. It didn't take much thought to know that the person who could write such a font was definitely not an ordinary person!
And this is indeed the case. The person who wrote this letter to Xu Zhaojie was the prime minister of the dynasty, Shangguan Hongyuan, who held the emperor hostage to control the princes!
Shangguan Hongyuan had two purposes in writing this letter to Xu Zhaojie!

The first is to agree on a plan for both sides to attack the Fengwu Army from the north and south after the beginning of next spring!

The second is that Shangguan Hongyuan asked Xu Zhaojie to disrupt the large-scale arms purchases by Fengwu Army and Jiangnan!
Although Xu Zhaojie once betrayed Shangguan Hongyuan, Shangguan Hongyuan and Xu Zhaojie came together because they had a common enemy in Ye Mingsheng.

Although both of them knew that the cooperation between the two sides was for their own reasons, both sides also knew that it would be difficult to defeat the Fengwu Army relying solely on their own strength. Therefore, Shangguan Hongyuan and Xu Zhaojie both attached great importance to the cooperation between the two sides······························
As for Shangguan Hongyuan's first goal, Xu Zhaojie intended to argue with Shangguan Hongyuan. Although it was natural for him to attack Fengwu Army from the north and south together with Luoan, Xu Zhaojie did not want to make an agreement with Shangguan Hongyuan to launch an offensive against Fengwu Army together!
Xu Zhaojie has his own judgment on the battle between the Luoan Imperial Guards and the Fengwu Army in Yunbing next year. He believes that it will be difficult for either the Luoan Imperial Guards or the Fengwu Army to defeat the other in a short period of time, and the battle will last at least three months.

Based on this judgment, Xu Zhaojie's inner plan is to be the fisherman who benefits from the quarrel between the snipe and the clam. After the spring of next year, he will invade Jiangnan and let the Fengwu Army's troops in Hebei and Henan relax their vigilance. It would be best if the Fengwu Army was in a tight spot on the Yunbing battlefield and the garrisons in Hebei and Henan were transferred to Yunbing.

Taking advantage of the fierce battle between the Fengwu Army and the Luoan Imperial Guards in Yunbing, Xu Zhaojie took over the most prosperous Jiangnan region in the world. Although Xu Zhaojie did not like the result on the battlefield in Yunbing, his reason told him that the Fengwu Army would most likely win the final victory.

However, Xu Zhaojie did not care about this. He believed that even if Shangguan Hongyuan was defeated in Yunbing, he could still create enough trouble for the Fengwu Army. Even if the Fengwu Army could really win, it would definitely be a partial victory with huge casualties.

Of course, if the war in Jiangnan goes smoothly, Xu Zhaojie will not wait until the battle in Yunbing is over before heading north. He also very much hopes that Luoan can tie down the main force of the Fengwu Army and create opportunities for him to go north to Hebei, Henan, Qi and Lu...

Xu Zhaojie, who had already decided to haggle with Shangguan Hongyuan over the timing of the North-South pincer attack, planned to give Shangguan Hongyuan an explanation by cutting off the military trade between the Fengwu Army and the Jiangnan area. After all, Shangguan Hongyuan failed to accomplish either of the two tasks, which was really disrespectful to Shangguan Hongyuan. In addition, this matter also involved his interests, affecting his plan of profiting from the conflict between the two sides!
Originally, Xu Zhaojie was very contemptuous of Jiangnan's military power, thinking that in just two months, his Zhennan Army could sweep away those young masters' soldiers in Jiangnan. However, once the military procurement plan of Fengwu Army and Jiangnan went smoothly, the instructors and firearms of Fengwu Army would greatly improve the combat effectiveness of Jiangnan Army. Moreover, the cooperation between the two sides would inevitably strengthen the connection between them, and they might even form a de facto offensive and defensive alliance.

Small groups of cavalry from the Fengwu Army had been breaking in from time to time, stirring up unrest in Anqing and Huainan and making people uneasy. If Jiangnan and the Fengwu Army really formed an alliance, when he led his troops south, the Fengwu Army would most likely march into Anqing and use the tactic of besieging Wei to save Zhao!
You must know that although the Fengwu Army had ended the war in Hebei and Henan, its most elite First Army remained in Hebei and Henan, with more than 20,000 troops stationed in Fengqiu near Anqing. It goes without saying who this army was guarding against.

Therefore, under such circumstances, destroying the cooperation between the Fengwu Army and Jiangnan can be said to be Xu Zhaojie’s current top priority!
If one wants to destroy the cooperation between Fengwu Army and Jiangnan, one must rely on the navy. However, this disastrous defeat has shown that Xu Zhaojie’s previous attempt to use his cronies to control the navy has failed...

Since the original plan has failed, Xu Zhaojie only has one way left to achieve his goal!

That is to make use of the Huainan Navy's troops and let professionals do professional things!

And at this time, Zhao Hanshu became a stepping stone!

Xu Zhaojie didn't need to understand to know that after this disastrous defeat, Zhao Hanshu had become completely infamous in the Huainan Navy. He had become a thorn in the hearts of the Huainan Navy soldiers. Many people complained about him and wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible!
Therefore, as long as Zhao Hanshu is still alive, even if Xu Zhaojie transfers him away from the Huainan Navy, it will be difficult for Xu Zhaojie to truly subdue the Huainan Navy and make them fight for his plan at will!
Therefore, for the sake of the overall situation, Xu Zhaojie had no choice but to execute Ma Su and Zhao Hanshu in tears to appease the anger of the Huainan navy!

Of course, if he wanted to quell the anger of the Huainan Navy, killing Zhao Hanshu alone was far from enough. Xu Zhaojie also had to take other actions.

Xu Zhaojie had already made up his mind that he would let Zhao Hanshu take all the blame for the defeat in this battle. When he had free time in a few days, he would go to the Huainan Navy's base to comfort the soldiers injured in this battle and bring them some money as a favor to the soldiers of the Huainan Navy.

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Yijing, Governor's Mansion, evening
"Master Tian Yu, Madam Ruolan, this is the best mutton from the Erlunqin Grassland. In order to ensure the freshness of the mutton, Dadongsheng Company sent someone to graze all the way from the Erlunqin Grassland to Yijing. It was just slaughtered yesterday. You two should try it. I guarantee it is different from the mutton sold outside!"

In An Miaoyi's room, Qiqige smiled and introduced An Tianyu, Xiao Ruolan and his wife to the guests:
Before, because Ye Mingsheng was commanding a battle outside, and An Tianyu was already an adult, bringing him into the Ye Mansion rashly would cause others to gossip, so An Miaoyi never let An Tianyu enter the Ye Mansion. After Ye Mingsheng came back, An Miaoyi also talked to Ye Mingsheng about this matter.

Ye Mingsheng had no concerns about this unlucky little guy An Tianyu, and allowed An Tianyu to come to the Ye Mansion with a wave of his hand. Although he had Ye Mingsheng's permission, An Miaoyi did not let An Tianyu in and out of the Ye Mansion frequently. The last family dinner with Ye Mingsheng was the first time, and now the weather outside was getting colder and colder. An Miaoyi missed her younger brother a little, so she let him and Xiao Ruolan come to the mansion to eat hot pot.

Listening to Qiqige's introduction, Yasuda Yu looked at the copper pot in front of him with some curiosity, then picked up the thinly sliced ​​mutton from the pot with chopsticks, dipped it in the sauce in the bowl, and put it into his mouth. A look of surprise suddenly appeared on his fair face, and then he picked up another piece of mutton and said:
“My brother-in-law is so amazing. Not only was he able to lead the Fengwu Army to conquer this vast territory, he was also able to invent something as delicious as hot pot…”

An Miaoyi, who was sitting beside him, smiled when she heard this, and carefully instructed An Tianyu:

"Eat slowly! If you like it, I'll arrange a chef to cook for you in your house!"

Yasuda Yu naturally wouldn't be polite to her sister, she nodded and said:

"Then I'll trouble you, sister!" After talking with An Tianyu for a while, An Miaoyi noticed Xiao Ruolan beside her. She didn't seem to be very interested in the steaming hot pot in front of her. Compared with An Tianyu beside her, she seemed a little uninterested. She kept looking out the window, as if she was observing something.

Noticing this situation, An Miaoyi asked without thinking too much:
"Ruolan, don't you like hot pot?"

Hearing An Miaoyi's question, Xiao Ruolan shook her head and said:

"The hot pot is delicious, but I have a toothache recently, so nothing tastes good!"

After getting Xiao Ruolan's answer, An Miaoyi nodded slightly and said:
"So that's what it is. Your brother-in-law also had a toothache before, and he couldn't eat like you. He also said that toothache is not a disease, but it can kill people when it hurts. However, after Doctor Sun from the medical school treated him, he no longer felt any pain and was completely cured. It's getting late today, so tomorrow I'll let Qiqige take you to the medical school to see Doctor Sun and let him take a look at you!"

Xiao Ruolan was grateful when she heard this and said:
"Thank you sister!"

An Miaoyi smiled and said:

"nothing···················"

As soon as An Miaoyi finished speaking, there was a sound of footsteps outside the door. Hearing the familiar footsteps, An Miaoyi couldn't help but stand up, and the smile on her face undoubtedly became three times brighter. At the same time, Ye Mingsheng also walked into the room. Seeing Ye Mingsheng coming, Xiao Ruolan and An Tianyu also stood up and saluted Ye Mingsheng.

Just when everyone's eyes were on Ye Mingsheng, no one noticed that there was a barely perceptible flash of strange color in someone's eyes when he looked at Ye Mingsheng.

In response to everyone's greetings, Ye Mingsheng nodded with a smile and said:
"Everyone is here!"

"The weather outside is getting colder, so I asked the couple to come into the mansion and try this hot pot!"

An Miaoyi introduced with a smile:

Ye Mingsheng nodded slightly, then shifted his gaze to An Tianyu. Feeling Ye Mingsheng's gaze, An Tianyu was a little nervous. After looking An Tianyu up and down, Ye Mingsheng felt that compared to the last time they met, An Tianyu's face was not as pale as before, and there was more color on his face. He didn't look so sick anymore.

Seeing this, Ye Mingsheng nodded with satisfaction, then patted Yasuda Yu on the shoulder and said:

"It seems like you have recovered well during this period!"

Yasuda Yu was very grateful when he heard this and said:
"Thank you very much for the doctor sent by my brother-in-law! Tian Yu will never forget your great kindness!"

Ye Mingsheng smiled and waved his hand when he heard this:

“It’s just a small favor, why are you talking about this…”

As soon as Ye Mingsheng finished speaking, he felt something and subconsciously shifted his gaze to his side, only to see Xiao Ruolan looking at him with some resentment. This immediately reminded Ye Mingsheng of the day when Xiao Ruolan threw herself at him in the back garden, and the faint strange fragrance.

Because An Miaoyi was watching nearby, Ye Mingsheng did not have much eye contact with Xiao Ruolan. He just nodded at her politely and turned his gaze away.

Ye Mingsheng did not ask anyone to say hello when he arrived at noon, so An Miaoyi thought that Ye Mingsheng would stay overnight at Pei Zhixiu's place, so she did not prepare any meal for Ye Mingsheng. If she had known that Ye Mingsheng was coming back, she would definitely postpone the meal time and everyone would wait for Ye Mingsheng together. Therefore, facing Ye Mingsheng's sudden arrival, An Miaoyi was a little unprepared, and she immediately asked Qiqige to prepare a new copper pot.

Ye Mingsheng, who had been reviewing official documents in the study for the whole afternoon, was very hungry. He picked up a few pastries on the table and ate while chatting with everyone. However, just like before, although Ye Mingsheng had tried his best to appear approachable, his brother-in-law An Tianyu, who was sitting next to Ye Mingsheng, was still trembling as if facing a great enemy. He answered timidly whatever Ye Mingsheng asked, and even a layer of fine sweat beads appeared on his forehead.

Xiao Ruolan also left the room on the pretext of something. Seeing that An Miaoyi still had something to say to An Tianyu, and An Tianyu was like this next to him, Ye Mingsheng, who had finished his meal, made up an excuse and walked out of the yard, ready to visit the other women tonight.

However, what Ye Mingsheng did not expect was that as soon as he walked out of the yard, he saw Xiao Ruolan, whose eyes were full of resentment.

Seeing this scene, Ye Mingsheng felt a little embarrassed. Why did Xiao Ruolan keep pestering him like this? Wasn’t she afraid of being discovered?······························
(I hope everyone can join the book club. I look forward to your feedback. Finally, I want to write a female supporting role to death. Is that ok?)
(End of this chapter)