Chapter 932: Luo An’s old friend!

In Luoan, in a very secluded residential area, a family in distress quietly hid here························
A middle-aged couple were sitting next to each other in a shabby room. Although the man was old, he still had an extraordinary demeanor, and one could vaguely see the handsome look of his youth.

Although the woman looked ordinary and was wearing coarse linen clothes, she looked noble. Her delicate and fair skin also showed that she had lived a pampered life in the past.

At this time, the couple remained silent. The room was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Just as the atmosphere in the room became more and more solemn, the woman looked at her husband beside her, hesitated for a moment, but still took the lead in breaking the silence and said:
"Master, the neighbors are saying that the Fengwu Army is about to enter the city!"

Hearing this, the middle-aged man called the master hesitated for a few seconds and then nodded, indicating to his wife that he knew about this matter.

Seeing her husband nod, the woman was silent for a while before she mustered up the courage to continue speaking:
"Your Fang family and the Ye family have a long history of friendship. I still remember that when he was in Luoan, he often came to visit you, Master. You were very familiar with him, and he always called you Uncle Fang."

“Master, you often take care of him. The most important thing is that when he was transferred to the Zhenwu Army, it was you who introduced him to Li Guangbin. If not for this, he might not have become Marshal Ye today…”

As soon as these words came out, the middle-aged man, that is, the former fourth-rank commander of the Hujie Imperial Guards, Fang Jing, suddenly showed a bitter smile on his face. After sighing, he shook his head at his wife Fang Tang and said:
"Ma'am, you don't understand that times are different now!"

"He is no longer the Ye Mingsheng of the past. He is now Marshal Ye of the Fengwu Army, and will be the Emperor Ye in the future!"

Facing her husband's words, Fang Tang said anxiously:

"What do you mean things are different now? Didn't you openly break off relations with him and even curse Ye Mingsheng and the Ye family?"

"Isn't this all because of the Shangguan family? It's not like we really want to break off our relationship with him and scold him and the Ye family!
"If we hadn't done this, wouldn't we have been killed by the Shangguan family long ago?"

"Master, I think he can achieve such a great feat today. He is definitely not a narrow-minded person. Maybe he doesn't care about this matter at all!"

Listening to his wife Fang Tang's words, Fang Jing's face was still full of bitter smiles. To be honest, although he was also looking forward to Ye Mingsheng making a career in the Zhenwu Army in Liaoyang, so that he could have a good relationship with him.

But Fang Jing never imagined that the young junior who used to send him wine, rouge and powder, and expensive pastries to his wife, and who relied on him for care, would actually accomplish such an earth-shattering and awe-inspiring career in Liaoyang!
Not only did he become a local overlord, he also actually defeated the Shangguan family, which was at its peak, and entered the imperial court to build an empire...

If things were just this, then Fang Jing would be very happy about the arrival of the Fengwu Army. After all, he did take good care of Ye Mingsheng in the past, and the uncle and nephew had a good relationship. Fang Jing also believed that Ye Mingsheng would appreciate his kindness!
This time Ye Mingsheng has ascended to the pinnacle of power, and Fang Jing can also follow him and gain some benefits!
But the problem is that when Shangguan Hongyuan defeated the imperial court on its southern tour and decided to march east to regard the Fengwu Army as the biggest enemy, the uncle-nephew relationship between Fang Jing and Ye Mingsheng was dug up!

Although Ye Mingsheng and Fang Jing had not been in contact for several years, Fang Jing was still labeled as Ye Mingsheng's accomplice. Not only was he dismissed from his position as the fourth-rank commander of the Hu Jie Imperial Guards, but his entire family was almost executed.

Fortunately, Fang Jing’s wife’s surname was Tang and her brother was Tang Peng, Duke of Chu, so with the help of Tang Peng, Fang Jing got a chance to save his family’s lives!
The condition for getting this opportunity is that Fang Jing must draw a clear line with Ye Mingsheng!
Although he did so at the request of the Shangguan family, Fang Jing was very resentful towards Ye Mingsheng, who caused him to be dismissed from his post as the fourth-rank commander of the Tiger and Defence Guards, for which he had fought all his life, and caused his entire family to have a near-death experience!
In addition, Fang Jing at that time would never have thought that Ye Mingsheng would lead the newly rising Fengwu Army to defeat the seemingly invincible Prime Minister Shangguan Hongyuan...

So in order to stay alive and have the hope of being reinstated, Fang Jing not only publicly severed his ties with Ye Mingsheng, but also cursed Ye Mingsheng and the ancestors of the Ye family for eighteen generations. His curses were as harsh as they could be and extremely unbearable to hear!
However, although Fang Jing cursed very hard in the hope of getting his post reinstated, the position of the fourth-rank commander of the Tiger and Swift Imperial Guards was a real vacancy, and there were many people eyeing his position.

So in the end Fang Jing still did not return to his post and had been living in seclusion at home until a few days ago when Tang Peng turned against him and he, as Tang Peng's brother-in-law, was also implicated. Fortunately, Fang Jing received the news in advance and hid here with his wife and children!
Thinking back on his past actions at this moment, Fang Jing felt so regretful that he even wanted to slap himself twice!

It would have been better if he had just cut ties with Ye Mingsheng at that time. Now he still has the nerve to meet Ye Mingsheng and say that he was forced into a corner. He thinks that by then, with the previous friendship, Ye Mingsheng would not make things difficult for him, and it is not even impossible for him to be reinstated.

But why the hell was he so obsessed with power that he wanted to be reinstated and cursed Ye Mingsheng and the Ye family!
Thinking about the words he had used to curse Ye Mingsheng and the Ye family, Fang Jing felt both regretful and uneasy. He didn't know how he had offended Ye Mingsheng.

Will Ye Mingsheng take his life, or kill his entire family...

Seeing her husband's uneasy look, Fang Tang said:
"Master, Luoan is doomed to fail now. The Fengwu Army will soon return to the city. How about this? After the Fengwu Army enters the city, I will go to find out what Big Brother is thinking!"

"Brother, you have offered Weiguan to the Fengwu Army this time and have made great contributions to the Fengwu Army. Ye Mingsheng will definitely reward you handsomely!"

"If Big Brother can say a few good words for you, maybe your nephew will listen and understand how hard it has been for you all these years!"

"On the contrary, if the reputation is not good, our family will just hide in the countryside!"

"The Fengwu Army's control over Guanzhong will definitely not be strong when it first takes control. Let's find a remote countryside to hide. I don't think Ye Mingsheng will be able to find us!"

"We still have some gold and silver in our hands. Although it's not a lot, if we save a little, we can live out our lives in peace!"

"After going through all these things, I have finally let it go. In this chaotic world, it is better to live in peace and stability than to be rich and powerful. It is better for our family to live in peace and stability than anything else!"

Hearing his wife's words, Fang Jing was deeply moved and said:
"Madam, you have suffered with me..."

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Jingchu, Hanyang City

Looking at the battle reports sent from the front line, Sun Chenggong felt a splitting headache!

Sun Chenggong didn't know why the Fengwu Army under Ye Mingsheng was able to crush Jinyang and Weiguan in less than half a year, defeat the Luoan court and enter Guanzhong, laying a foundation for an unprecedented achievement! Why was it so difficult for the Jingchu Army under his command to fight? Obviously, the main force of the Zhennan Army was taken by Xu Zhaojie to conquer Jiangnan. The Zhennan Army left in Hengzhou, Yongshao, Hezhou and other places was just a small army, but his side fought like a pile of shit!
The war lasted for nearly two months and hundreds of thousands of dollars in money and grain were lost, but in the end, only two county towns were captured, not a single provincial capital!
Sun Chenggong took out the savings accumulated by the Jingchu Army for more than ten years, tightened his belt and gritted his teeth to fight on, but after two months of fierce fighting, this is the result?

Sun Chenggong was very disappointed and angry about this. He felt that the general Zhao Zongchang, whom he appointed to fight the rebels, should be held fully responsible for the current war situation!

What made Sun Chenggong most angry was that Zhao Zongchang seemed to have no sense of shame at all. He had fought to this point and still had the nerve to take advantage of his seniority to complain to him and ask for this and that!

This is truly intolerable························

After thinking for a while, Sun Chenggong seemed to have made up his mind and instructed the guards around him:

"Go and get Master Cheng, General Duan, and General Li for me!"

"Yes!"

One stick of incense later following Sun Chenggong's order, his advisor Cheng Pingzhi, Jingchu Army commander Duan Zhibao, and formation-breaking general Li Zhengyong appeared in front of Sun Chenggong.

Seeing his three trusted generals, Sun Chenggong did not beat around the bush and spoke directly:
"The battle on the front line is not going well. I intend to capture Zhao Zongchang! What do you three think?"

After these words were spoken, Cheng Pingzhi's face remained very calm, while Duan Zhibao and Li Zhengyong's expressions showed some subtle changes.

After hesitating for a moment, Li Zhengyong spoke first:
"Sir, changing generals before a battle is a taboo in the military. It is best to consider this matter carefully!"

Although Li Zhengyong said this in a tactful way, Sun Chenggong understood the disapproval in his words and could not help but frown.

Among the three people he called over today, Cheng Pingzhi is the advisor, Duan Zhibao and Li Zhengyong are generals, so it is obvious that the person in charge of the front-line war after replacing Zhao Zongchang will be between Duan Zhibao and Li Zhengyong!
Sun Chenggong originally thought that these two people would agree with his decision to change commanders and actively strive for the command of the front-line battles, but now it seems that things are not going as he wishes·························

Sun Chenggong glanced at Cheng Pingzhi and Duan Zhibao in front of him, and seeing that neither of them had any intention of speaking, he directly called out their names:

"Duan Zhibao, what do you think?"

Seeing Sun Chenggong had called his name, Duan Zhibao had no choice but to stand up and hesitate for a moment before saying:
"Your Excellency, I think what General Li said makes sense. Changing generals before a battle is a taboo in the military. I think we should act with caution!"

As soon as Duan Zhibao finished speaking, Sun Chenggong slammed the table. He didn't know why these two generals, who he had promoted personally and who always said they would be loyal to him and die for him, now became cowards when encountering problems?

Feeling Sun Chenggong's anger, Duan Zhibao and Li Zhengyong immediately knelt down and said:

"We are incompetent, please calm down, sir!"

Hearing what the two said, Sun Chenggong became even more furious. Just as he was about to explode, Cheng Pingzhi stood up and said:
"Sir, please calm down for now! Let me tell you about the difficulties of the two generals!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Chenggong glared at the two people kneeling on the ground and ordered Cheng Pingzhi:

speak!
Cheng Pingzhi slowly said:
“General Liu Zongchang is a veteran of our Jingchu Army. He has worked in the army for decades and has rich experience. Most of the soldiers on the front line are the old general’s former subordinates…”

"Although the two generals are extremely brave and loyal to you, they have not made much achievements in the army. If they rashly replace the old general and take over the war, it will inevitably cause unrest in the frontline troops and damage morale!"

"Secondly, although the Zhennan Army that stayed in Hengzhou, Hezhou, Yongshao and other places is only a small army, it is also an elite force with hundreds of battles. The leading general Xu Zhanshu has also been a general who has followed Xu Zhaojie for many years. He is very experienced in combat and is especially good at defending cities!"

"And our army lacks heavy artillery for siege, so with the enemy holding on to the city, we don't have many options!"

After hearing Cheng Pingzhi's analysis, although Sun Chenggong was still very angry, his anger was reduced a little. After a moment of silence, Sun Chenggong glanced at Duan Zhibao who was kneeling on the ground. Li Zhengyong and the others immediately asked:

"Is what Master Cheng said true?"

Seeing Cheng Pingzhi had spoken, the two of them nodded. Although they knew that rejecting Sun Chenggong's proposal now would anger Sun Chenggong, it was not a capital crime after all, and the most they would get was a scolding from Sun Chenggong.

However, if they rashly accepted the battle on the front line, firstly, the soldiers on the front line might not obey them, and secondly, they really had no better way to deal with the current war, which could quickly open up the situation and achieve the military exploits that Sun Chenggong wanted!

These two people are different from Liu Zongchang. Liu Zongchang is a veteran in the army with a strong foundation. Even if Sun Chenggong is captured now, he dare not touch him.

However, as new generals promoted by Sun Chenggong, they do not have such a deep foundation in the army. If the war goes badly, they will most likely take the blame, and their heads will be in danger...

(End of this chapter)