Chapter 910: Relieve the Marshal’s worries!
To be honest, being the Central Envoy in Fengwu Army is much more tiring than being the Censor in Liaoyang. However, the feeling of holding great power makes Cui Shao never tired of it.

Although he is over 60 and is already 62 years old this year, he can no longer work from morning to night like before and still be full of energy to continue his official duties the next day, but Cui Shao feels that he is not old. He dare not say how much, but he feels that he can still work for another ten years!
Therefore, Cui Shao did not want to hand over power so quickly and return to his hometown to enjoy a peaceful life with his grandchildren!
But unfortunately, whether to hand over power and return home does not depend on Cui Shao’s personal will, but on Ye Mingsheng’s thoughts.

Cui Shao knew this very well, which was why he hoped that Ye Mingsheng would adopt his three-point policy to expand financial resources. In this way, when negative effects gradually emerged, Ye Mingsheng would need him to clean up and solve these problems. By then, he could hold the position longer!

This can be regarded as Cui Shao's personal selfishness. Although it is not beneficial to the Fengwu Army in the long run, it is inevitable to pay some price if you want to quickly increase fiscal revenue in a short period of time.

Cui Shao knew that Ye Mingsheng must also understand the dangers involved, but he knew even more clearly Ye Mingsheng's determination to seize the world as soon as possible!
The Fengwu Army rose too fast. In just a few years, it grew from a local vassal town in Liaoyang to the giant dragon that swallowed up the world today...
However, in the process of any force's rise, various problems and contradictions will arise internally. This is inevitable and the same is true for the Fengwu Army!

At present, the problems and contradictions of the Fengwu Army have been masked by its rapid development, and everyone is immersed in Ye Mingsheng’s goal of unifying the world!
Moreover, this goal does not seem out of reach. We can temporarily put aside our conflicts and work together for the common interests of the Fengwu Army!

However, if the Fengwu Army's outward expansion slows down, making everyone realize that they are not close to the target, then the problems and contradictions that were originally covered up by the rapid expansion will emerge one after another.

Once internal problems arise, the Fengwu Army's momentum to swallow up the world will inevitably come to an end. At that time, unifying the world will not only be impossible but also much more difficult.

Cui Shao had discovered this problem a year ago. He submitted a memorial to Ye Mingsheng about this issue, expressing the problem to Ye Mingsheng in a very obscure way.

Ye Mingsheng summoned Cui Shao for this. After listening to Cui Shao's ideas, Ye Mingsheng and Cui Shao reached a consensus on how to solve this problem.

Both of them believed that they should try their best to maintain the momentum of the Fengwu Army’s rapid expansion, and then clear the mines bit by bit in the process of expansion, ease conflicts and solve internal problems, maintain the unity and centripetal force of the Fengwu Army, and prevent internal problems from affecting the expansion of the Fengwu Army·······························

So under this consensus, Cui Shao expected that although Ye Mingsheng was reluctant, he would eventually choose his own suggestion to expand financial resources to support the front line and eliminate the Luoan court as soon as possible.

The Fengwu Army has wasted too much time on the Luoan court. Now it is time to let this rotten ship sink completely into the sea!
Since he was the one who proposed the suggestion, Cui Shao naturally had a solution. He believed that at the practical level, he had many ways to reduce the negative impact of expanding financial resources.

These negative impacts will definitely cause some troubles, but Cui Shao feels that he has the confidence and ability to control these troubles and prevent them from expanding and turning into large-scale riots!
But what Cui Shao didn't expect was that Gu Sansi suddenly appeared halfway!
Although he, like himself, had no better way to expand financial resources, Gu Sansi had a new way to save money!

In fact, as the "chief steward" of the Fengwu Army, Cui Shao thought of various possibilities in order to maintain the supply for the expansion of the Fengwu Army.

Cui Shao had thought about postponing the payment of pensions and rewards, and he had also tried to test the military’s attitude for this purpose, but he was fiercely opposed by the military. Cui Shao had no choice but to stop thinking about it and consider other possibilities...

Today, Gu Sansi’s ideas are indeed eye-opening, and are very constructive if you think about them carefully. However, this does not mean that Gu Sansi’s ideas are foolproof!
The first problem that needs to be solved with this idea is the degree of acceptance of this idea by the soldiers on the front line!
Cui Shao believed that in order to achieve the goal of saving costs, at least half of the soldiers on the front line had to accept Gu Sansi’s plan. So would so many people be willing to volunteer?

Cui Shao personally expressed doubts about this issue, and based on his grassroots experience, he believed that in the process of implementing this plan, if the grassroots soldiers were not very receptive, then in order to achieve the goal of saving expenses, voluntary participation would inevitably become forced apportionment.

Once things develop to this point, they will inevitably be strongly opposed by the lower-level soldiers, which will lead to unrest in military morale!
If it were any other time, the military morale unrest would not be very serious, but now the Fengwu Army is at a critical moment in attacking Guanzhong.

If we fail to take advantage of the demoralized Luoan court at this time and capture Wei Pass in one fell swoop to destroy the Luoan court, then given the current financial situation of the Fengwu Army, it will take at least a year before they can organize a large-scale attack on Guanzhong!
One year is enough to change a lot of things, not to mention whether the failure of the attack on Guanzhong would become the fuse that detonated the internal problems of the Fengwu Army...
Just to say that the Luoan court now controls Sichuan in addition to Guanzhong. If the Luoan court is really allowed to catch its breath, it is not impossible for the Luoan court to stabilize the situation by relying on the supply from Sichuan.

Therefore, Cui Shao was very cautious about Gu Sansi's plan. During the meeting in Zhongyong Hall during the day, he originally wanted to stand up and express his opinions.

However, Zhao Han and Guo Zhiping, who represented the military, had no objections, and the Marshal was obviously very optimistic about this plan, so Cui Shao hesitated for a moment and did not speak again.

Based on personal interests, Cui Shao had complicated emotions towards the plan proposed by Gu Sansi!
On the one hand, he hoped that Gu Sansi's plan would succeed, so that the Fengwu Army would save hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, which could be used to train an additional 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers.

Twenty or thirty thousand soldiers and horses may not seem like a lot, but this may be the last straw that breaks the camel's back for the Luoan court!
It was not very difficult for the Fengwu Army to deal with the Luoan court and sweep across the southern heroes. In this way, the Fengwu Army's ambition to unify the world would be accomplished!
The Cui family will also rise with the tide and become one of the most powerful families in the new dynasty. This is something that all the ancestors of the Cui family have never done. While Cui Shao is in the highest position of an official, he will also fulfill the long-cherished wish of his ancestors and lead the family to the pinnacle of power!

But on the other hand, if Gu Sansi succeeds in this matter, there is no doubt that Gu Sansi will gain unprecedented prestige in the court. This will undoubtedly allow Gu Sansi to replace his position in the Fengwu Army more quickly with the support of Ye Mingsheng!

It was this tangled feeling that made Cui Shao feel very complicated. He didn't know whether he should hope that Gu Sansi would succeed...

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Yijing, south of the city.

Looking at the plaque with the three characters "Fei Yan Zhai" hanging on the mansion in front of him, Ye Mingsheng asked Jiang Yuyan beside him with a little surprise:

"Is this the new house you bought?"

Facing Ye Mingsheng's gaze, Jiang Yuyan nodded as a matter of course and said:
"Well, this is the new house I bought myself!"

At this point, Jiang Yuyan blinked her beautiful eyes, stretched out her hand and gestured to Ye Mingsheng:

"My Lord, do you want to go in and take a look?" Looking at Jiang Yuyan's slightly playful appearance, Ye Mingsheng was a little dazed. Only then did he realize that the beautiful young woman in front of him was actually only thirty years old. If she were in the future, she would still be a little fairy.

Walking into the mansion, Ye Mingsheng frowned as he looked at the slightly old courtyard and slightly old decoration, and then asked Jiang Yuyan beside him:

"I remember you just bought that yard, and the decoration was pretty good, right? Why did you buy this old house so soon?"

Facing Ye Mingsheng's question, Jiang Yuyan immediately explained:
"The previous yard was nice, but it only covered one acre. This yard covers two acres and is much quieter!"

Hearing Jiang Yuyan say this, Ye Mingsheng frowned even deeper. If he remembered correctly, Jiang Yuyan was a very lively person. Her previous courtyard was in the bustling east of the city...
Looking at Ye Mingsheng who was frowning, Jiang Yuyan was about to say something when Ye Mingsheng asked again:
"Are you worried about being seen with me?"

Jiang Yuyan was very surprised by Ye Mingsheng's direct question, but facing Ye Mingsheng's deep gaze, the only thing she could do was to tell the truth.

"It is my honor to be favored by the Marshal for my beauty. Many people know that I am the Marshal's woman!"

"But the Marshal will be the emperor in the future and I am a widow. I am just worried about affecting the Marshal's reputation. I have nothing else to worry about!"

Seeing that Jiang Yuyan didn't avoid any gaze when she spoke, Ye Mingsheng knew that she was speaking from the heart, and his expression softened a lot as he continued to tour the house.

Seeing Ye Mingsheng like this, Jiang Yuyan finally breathed a sigh of relief and continued to introduce to Ye Mingsheng what she was going to arrange in the yard.

"My favorite is this ginkgo tree. There is a nest of little swallows on the tree. My father named me with the word 'swallow' in it, so I have liked little swallows since I was a child!"

“I also want to build a swing next to the tree. My favorite thing to do when I was a child was to sit on the swing and watch the little swallows flying around…”

When saying this, Jiang Yuyan seemed to recall her childhood, and a sweet smile unconsciously appeared on her face.

Looking at Jiang Yuyan like this, Ye Mingsheng felt a little strange. None of his more than ten wives and concubines had ever said this.

Although it was desire that initially made him decide to take Jiang Yuyan, it must be said that after getting in touch with Jiang Yuyan, Ye Mingsheng discovered that Jiang Yuyan had a strange something that attracted him.

After careful consideration, Ye Mingsheng thought that the name of this thing is - Independence!
Among his dozen or so wives and concubines, even An Miaoyi and Murong Qingwu, who were of noble birth and had powerful families, were all dependent on him, and their lives centered around him.

Although Jiang Yuyan sometimes asks for some benefits and policies, she has her own life just like Pei Zhixiu. Compared with Pei Zhixiu, Jiang Yuyan is more independent and has a stronger career ambition!
For example, when buying a house, his wives and concubines would try to get him to reward them instead of buying it with his own money like Jiang Yuyan did.

Ye Mingsheng had to admit that Jiang Yuyan made him feel novel and made him curious about her.

At this time, Jiang Yuyan was also immersed in her own world and complained to Ye Mingsheng:

"Yijing is good in every way except that the housing prices are too high. Just this yard costs more than one thousand taels of silver. I had to sell my previous house to have enough money to sell this one..."

Hearing this, Ye Mingsheng immediately asked:
"Isn't Yuchuntang's business doing very well? In the first three months of this year, Yuchuntang has sold more than 20,000 taels of silver?"

Seeing Ye Mingsheng asking this, Jiang Yuyan hesitated and said:
"Yuchuntang's business is pretty good, but I'm planning to do something big, which will cost me a lot of money!"

Ye Mingsheng also became interested after hearing this and asked:
"What big thing are you going to do? Are you going to expand your business to the cloud?"

Jiang Yuyan shook her head, then mustered up the courage to say to Ye Mingsheng:
"Marshal, I want to show my filial piety to the old lady on her 60th birthday. I plan to cooperate with Mr. Bai from the Bai Mansion to hold a birthday party for her!"

Ye Mingsheng was very surprised when he heard this. He never thought that the big thing Jiang Yuyan wanted to do was to hold a birthday party for Ye Cui. However, holding a birthday party would indeed cost a lot of money.

Seeing Ye Mingsheng remained silent, Jiang Yuyan continued;

"The war between Yun and Bing has been going on for several months. Everyone in the market knows that the government is short of money and cannot spare any money to celebrate the old lady's birthday!"

“I am where I am today because of the Marshal’s care, so naturally I also want to share the Marshal’s worries…”

(End of this chapter)