Chapter 66 Scout (Thanks to book friend zytm3333 for the monthly ticket!)

After taking a deep look at Pei Zhixiu, seeing this woman so heartless, Ye Mingsheng's heart gradually turned cold. He took a deep breath, then took out two silver notes of 100 taels and more than ten taels of loose silver from his arms, handed them to Pei Zhixiu and said:

"Miss Pei, I'm sorry for bothering you these days to prepare medicine for me. Now that you've made up your mind, I'll give you this silver as a token of my appreciation. I'll give it to you as your travel expenses to Shuozhou."

"The road ahead is long, and there is still some distance to go before reaching Da Zhou. There are bandits along the way and it is not safe. Once you pass Datian Pass and enter the territory of Da Zhou, you can leave on your own!"

Seeing Ye Mingsheng handing over the banknotes and silver, Pei Zhixiu subconsciously wanted to refuse. However, before she could say no, Ye Mingsheng took the lead and stuffed the things into her hands, saying in a deep voice:
"This silver is worth Mr. Ye's life!"

After he finished speaking, Ye Mingsheng did not hesitate any longer. He walked away with big strides and returned to his tent, no longer thinking about inspecting the military camp.

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The next morning, Ye Mingsheng, who had not slept all night, led his troops to leave the poor town of Gongdu with dark circles under his eyes and headed westward towards the Great Zhou.

Walking in the middle of the team, Ye Mingsheng, who was riding on a horse, had his right eyelid twitching for some reason. This made Ye Mingsheng a little upset, and he always had a bad premonition in his heart...
After thinking for a while, Ye Mingsheng made a decision. He rode his horse forward to Wang Xian, who was at the front of the team, and ordered him, "Send a few more scouts to investigate the situation within a ten-mile radius!"

"Sir, the nearby palaces are in rebellion and have been wiped out by the army!" Wang Xian couldn't figure out what Ye Mingsheng was doing, and after a moment of hesitation, he reminded him:

Ye Mingsheng did not say anything in response to Wang Xian's reminder. He just looked at Wang Xian coldly while riding on his horse.

Feeling Ye Mingsheng's cold gaze, Wang Xian's face froze, and he didn't dare to say anything more. He quickly said, "Yes, sir! I'll arrange it right away!"

Soon, the seven scouts quickly left the team and explored in all directions.

Looking at the scout's departing back, Ye Mingsheng felt a little relieved and returned to the center of the team. His current location was not far from Liujing, and it was about three days away from the most dangerous Huishan. Logically, there should be no danger!

Thinking of this, a self-deprecating smile emerged on Ye Mingsheng's lips. He seemed to have been paranoid and suspicious because of Xu Zhaojie's military order.

Maybe I am scaring myself now. What if Xu Zhaojie drove me out of Liujing just because he simply hated me and didn't want to see me?
Thinking of this, Ye Mingsheng's mood gradually calmed down. The team walked forward for twenty miles. Seeing the sun was directly overhead at noon, the soldiers who were carrying dozens of kilograms of salute weapons were all sweating and very tired. Ye Mingsheng ordered them to rest.

As soon as the order came, Ye Mingsheng took the dry food from Ye Tie and was about to eat a bite, when he saw Wang Xian, who was supposed to be walking at the front of the team, hurriedly coming towards him. "What happened?" Looking at Wang Xian's solemn face, Ye Mingsheng once again had a bad premonition in his heart...
"Only four scouts have returned!" Wang Xian whispered in Ye Mingsheng's ear:
Wang Xian's words made Ye Mingsheng, who had just relaxed, feel depressed. Wang Xian sent out seven scouts, but only four returned. This meant that the remaining three scouts should have lost contact!
There were flat plains all around with only scattered woods. Moreover, he had only ordered them to explore the situation within a radius of ten miles, which was not far. Therefore, the possibility of the scouts getting lost was very small.

Since they were not lost, then what could have caused the three scouts to lose contact and not return?
Realizing the problem, Ye Mingsheng couldn't help feeling very bitter. His premonition this time might really come true...
"Which direction were the three missing scouts exploring?" Ye Mingsheng pondered for a while and continued to ask:

"South!" Wang Xian said directly;
Ye Mingsheng nodded, and then instructed Ye Tie beside him: "Take a hundred people and search the south. You don't need to search too deep. If you really can't find it, forget it!"

"Yes! My lord!" Ye Tie nodded, ordered his men and horses, and headed west.

Not long after Ye Tie and the others had set off, Chen Yannian, who was at the end of the team and was responsible for holding the line, came over.

"Sir, has something happened?" Chen Yannian was a little confused and asked Ye Mingsheng:

Although the one hundred people Ye Tie took away were not his men, the entire team had only more than 600 people, less than 700 people. The departure of so many people was obviously abnormal.

Facing Chen Yannian's question, Ye Mingsheng hesitated for a moment, but still chose not to hide it. Instead, he told the truth: "I asked Wang Xian to send out some scouts to investigate the situation within ten miles. Now three scouts have lost contact, so I asked Ye Tie to lead the search!"

After hearing Ye Mingsheng's introduction, Chen Yannian, as a veteran, also realized the seriousness of the matter. He hesitated for a moment and said to Ye Mingsheng, "Sir, do we need to build fortifications now?"

Seeing that Chen Yannian was trying to test him, Ye Mingsheng was in no mood to compete with him. He waved his hand and said, "Let's wait until the search team comes back!"

Chen Yannian nodded when he heard this, without saying anything else, he stayed in the center of the team, waiting quietly with Ye Mingsheng...
About an hour later, Ye Tie returned with his men. In front of Chen Yannian, Wang Xian and others, he reported to Ye Mingsheng: "Sir, I have checked the west with my men, but we didn't find anyone!"

"I understand. Leave some marks on the ground for them, and then move on." Ye Mingsheng's eyes focused, and he immediately made a decision and ordered:
All the generals who received the order bowed and listened, returned to their respective posts and continued to work. Even Wang Xian, the sentry leader who was in charge of the scouts who had lost contact, had no objection.

(End of this chapter)