Chapter 933 "Smart guy!"

Jingchu, Hanyang

A carriage slowly stopped in front of the Duan Mansion, and then Duan Zhibao, the commander of the Jingchu Army with a gloomy expression, got out of the carriage and walked towards the house...
Just now in the Sun Mansion, although Sun Chenggong understood the difficulties of him and Li Zhengyong from Cheng Pingzhi's words, he did not make things difficult for them and asked them to go to the front line to take over the command, but he also scolded them both.

Duan Zhibao felt very aggrieved about Sun Chenggong's scolding. He felt that there were not many ways to attack a tough battle, and the Zhennan Army on the opposite side had well-trained soldiers and sufficient food and would defend the city to the death and would not fight with him out of the city.

Although the Jingchu Army had a certain advantage in military strength, the advantage was not particularly great, and it also lacked the heavy artillery needed for sieges. It could only rely on traditional siege equipment such as ladders, battering rams, and catapults.

In addition, because the Jingchu Army was suffering from serious problems of empty pay and misappropriation of military pay, a battalion with 3,000 registered soldiers might actually have only half of its strength, and the army was of mixed quality, ranging from children of fourteen or fifteen to old men in their fifties or sixties.

Even so, the soldiers could only get two meals a day to avoid starvation, and military salaries were generally owed for several months!

Even if silver is distributed from above, generals at all levels will try to get it, and in the end only one in ten will actually reach the hands of the soldiers...
Under such circumstances, the combat effectiveness of the Jingchu Army can be imagined, so Duan Zhibao believes that it is normal for the war to be fought like this. Not to mention Duan Zhibao, even if a great immortal came, he would be scratching his head!
If you want to achieve quick results, you, Sun Chenggong, have to change your surname to Ye Chenggong and transfer the Fengwu Army over here!
The Fengwu Army fired dozens or even hundreds of heavy artillery at once, and then the infantry followed up with a fearless charge. After a few waves, the opposing defenders could no longer hold on!

Duan Zhibao, who was filled with grievance and anger, was ready to vent his anger on the maids and servants as soon as he entered the mansion, but before he could open his mouth, he heard the housekeeper Duan Wu whisper:
"Master, Mr. Guo is here! He's waiting for you in the study!"

When Duan Zhibao heard the three words "Mr. Guo", his expression changed immediately. Then he nodded and walked straight towards the study.

A moment later, Duan Zhibao came to his study. Seeing Duan Zhibao's return, a middle-aged man with an unremarkable appearance but extraordinary bearing stood up from his chair. Duan Zhibao bowed and said:

"Guo Yuan meets General Duan!"

Seeing this, Duan Zhibao nodded with a smile, then waved his hand to signal Mr. Guo opposite to take a seat, and asked the maid to serve Guo Yuan another cup of fragrant tea.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Duan Zhibao, a military commander, asked Guo Yuan directly:

"Mr. Guo, I wonder why you are here today?"

Facing Duan Zhibao's question, Guo Yuan smiled and said:

"General Duan, you are a rare smart man in the Jingchu army. I think you should have almost figured out my background..."

As soon as these words were spoken, the smile on Duan Zhibao's face disappeared, and his gaze towards Guo Yuan became serious.

Half a year ago, he was promoted by Sun Chenggong to become the deputy commander of the Jingchu Army. At the same time, he met this Anqing businessman named Guo Yuan.

Guo Yuan claimed to be a businessman from Anqing. He wanted to do some business in glassware, gold and silver jewelry in Jingchu. So he also wanted to make friends with some prominent figures in Jingchu. Therefore, under his deliberate efforts and inducements with gold and silver, Duan Zhibao also became familiar with him.

Duan Zhibao is a careful person. As he became more familiar with Guo Yuan, he gradually realized that Guo Yuan's goods came from the north.

The money that Guo Yuan earned in Jingchu was not sent back to his hometown in Anqing as he said, but was also sent to the north.

This made Duan Zhibao gradually realize that Guo Yuan's identity was not as simple as he said, just a businessman!
Duan Zhibao thought about reporting Guo Yuan to Sun Chenggong, but the relationship between the Fengwu Army and the Jingchu Army was in a honeymoon period at that time. Sun Chenggong wanted to use the power of the Fengwu Army to get rid of the control of the Luoan court over him, and wanted to obtain the firearms of the Fengwu Army.

In addition, the Fengwu Army defeated the Luoan court in Yunbing, showing a momentum to swallow up the world, so Duan Zhibao thought again and again and decided to keep this matter in his heart and not tell anyone...

Although he was a little surprised that Guo Yuan would take the initiative to talk to him about his identity today, Duan Zhibao understood the purpose of Guo Yuan's action.
Seeing Duan Zhibao's silent face, Guo Yuan smiled slightly and took out a token from his arms, handed it to Duan Zhibao with both hands and said:

"General Duan, my real name is Ye Pengchao, and I am a centurion commander of the Fengwu Army!"

"I'm sorry for not being honest with you during this period. This is my identity token. Please check it!"

Because he had already guessed Guo Yuan's identity, Duan Zhibao was not surprised by Guo Yuan's self-introduction. He just glanced at the token in Guo Yuan's hand and said coldly:

"Your last name is Ye? Are you from the Ye family?"

Facing Duan Zhibao's question, Guo Yuan, also known as Ye Pengchao, showed a hint of pride on his face, then he nodded and said, meeting Duan Zhibao's gaze:

"Exactly!"

Listening to Ye Pengchao's words, Duan Zhibao narrowed his eyes and continued to preach coldly:

"Captain Ye, you disguised yourself and came to Jingchu to do business with ill intentions. As the deputy commander of the Jingchu Army, I can execute you right now!"

Feeling the murderous intent in Duan Zhibao's words, Ye Pengchao was not at all flustered, but continued with a smile:

"General Duan, this is Jingchu. My life is in your hands. Just give me a nod and my life will be yours!"

At this point, Ye Pengchao changed his tone and said seriously:

“But if I, Ye Pengchao, was afraid of death, I wouldn’t have come to Jingchu…”

As soon as Duan Zhibao was about to explode, Ye Pengchao placed his token on the table, then took out a letter and handed it to Duan Zhibao, saying:

"This is a letter from Director Su of the Foreign Affairs Bureau of our Fengwu Army to you, General Duan!"

Looking at the letter so close at hand, Duan Zhibao showed a hint of hesitation in his eyes. Seeing this, Ye Pengchao continued:
"General Duan, you have actually realized my identity a long time ago. You could have reported it to Sun Chenggong and asked him to kill me, but you didn't do it. This is how smart you are, General Duan!"

"As the saying goes, the world will eventually separate after a long period of unity, and will eventually unite after a long period of separation!"

"Right now, the Luoan court has been defeated by our army. Our Fengwu Army has entered Guanzhong and taken Luoan directly. Can you guess what our Fengwu Army will do next?"

Duan Zhibao's heart tightened when he heard this. Everyone knew that after the Fengwu Army dealt with the Luoan court, they would go south to capture the southern provinces!
Although the change in Duan Zhibao's expression was very subtle, Ye Pengchao still noticed it. Seeing this, Ye Pengchao felt even more proud. He knew that Duan Zhibao, although he was loyal to Sun Chenggong on the surface, and wanted to treat Sun Chenggong as his father, was filial to him!
But in fact, Duan Zhibao is a fence-sitter at heart. He will side with whoever is stronger!
If he hadn't been so sure, he wouldn't have come to Duan Zhibao today and revealed his identity... Although he despised Duan Zhibao's attitude of being the mother of whoever feeds him, Ye Pengchao still continued to tempt him:

"General Duan, I am not afraid to tell you that Jingchu is the first target of our Fengwu Army heading south!"

"You are the deputy commander of the Jingchu Army. You know the combat effectiveness of the Jingchu Army best. Your army cannot even deal with a detachment of the Zhennan Army left in the southern part of Jingchu. You are stuck in a quagmire of fierce fighting. How can you deal with the fierce and powerful Fengwu Army?"

Duan Zhibao looked a little embarrassed when he heard this, but Ye Pengchao's words were facts that he could not refute. Although the Jingchu Army had not yet fought with the Fengwu Army, Duan Zhibao also felt in his heart that the Jingchu Army was no match for the Fengwu Army!
If the Fengwu Army really invades Jingchu, it will be a complete disaster for the Jingchu Army, and the Jingchu Army may even collapse at the first touch!
"General Duan, this letter is a turning point in your life. A man who knows the times is a hero. Whether you will be buried with Sun Chenggong or stand on the side of the victor and enjoy the glory of victory, it all depends on your decision now!"

Under Ye Pengchao's coercion and inducement, Duan Zhibao hesitated for a moment but finally made the right choice and took the letter written by Su Qin from Ye Pengchao.

There were not many words in the letter. Zhibao read it three times during a cup of tea, with a hint of doubt in his expression.

He originally thought that the letter Su Qin sent him would promise him some conditions, such as appointing him to a certain official position and rewarding him with a certain amount of silver.

However, Su Qin did not mention this matter at all in his letter. He only praised him as the Jingchu among the Jingchu army and welcomed him to join the Fengwu army.

Duan Zhibao was naturally unhappy about this, and felt that the Fengwu Army had neglected him. However, when he thought of the current power of the Fengwu Army, he managed to suppress his unhappiness and asked Ye Pengchao:

"Captain Ye, I wonder how the Fengwu Army plans to arrange for me and my subordinates?"

Ye Pengchao said meaningfully after hearing this:
"How to arrange General Duan depends mainly on your performance!"

"But I can tell you, General Duan, that our Fengwu Army has already had some preliminary ideas on how to arrange the Jingchu Army. The General Staff Department's intention is to reorganize the Jingchu Army, leaving only the young and strong soldiers who are good at fighting, and organize them into the Fifth Army of the Fengwu Army, which will be under the command of two divisions!"

After hearing this, Duan Zhibao understood what Ye Pengchao meant, and immediately began to speak:
"Captain Ye, just tell me what you want Duan to do!"

Ye Pengchao also laughed when he heard this:

“It’s a pleasure to talk with a smart man like General Duan! Then I won’t beat around the bush. Our army hopes that you, General Duan, can take over the battle on the front line of the Jingchu Army…”

Listening to what Ye Pengchao said, Duan Zhibao seemed to realize something. He pondered for a moment and then spoke to Ye Pengchao tentatively:

"Captain Ye, didn't your coordination department only look for me?"

Ye Pengchao just smiled and said nothing. Seeing this, Duan Zhibao continued:
"If I'm not mistaken, you also found Li Zhengyong. He has two battalions of 7,000 soldiers in Hanyang, which is enough to launch a coup!"

"You asked me to take over the battle on the front line because you were worried that if Li Zhengyong launched a coup, the morale of the troops on the front line would be shaken and the Zhennan Army would take advantage!"

Listening to what Duan Zhibao said, Ye Pengchao neither admitted nor denied it, but continued to speak helplessly:

"General Duan, as you can see, I am only a centurion in the General Coordination Office. Above me there are centurions, deputy directors, and directors!"

"My mission is to recruit you, General Duan, and have you take over the battle of the Jingchu Army on the front line. As for the rest, I know nothing about it!"

Duan Zhibao snorted coldly upon hearing this:

"Captain Ye, I don't care what your plan is, but I want to be the commander of the Fifth Army!"

"If you agree to my terms and have Marshal Ye issue me a letter of appointment, I, Duan, will be willing to sell my life to the Fengwu Army!"

“Otherwise… hehe!”

Faced with the conditions offered by Duan Zhibao, Ye Pengchao was a little helpless, but he could only say:

"General Duan is the commander of the Fifth Army. I, a centurion, cannot make the decision. Only the commander-in-chief can decide this matter."

"I can only convey your request to my superior, and then my superior will report your request to the Marshal. This back and forth takes time!"

Duan Zhibao nodded and said:

"No problem, I can wait! Your troops have just entered Guanzhong. It will take time to capture Luoan and stabilize Guanzhong. Let's take our time!"

"Although my Jingchu army cannot take back those southern prefectures now, Jingchu still has 100,000 capable warriors and nearly a million people in more than ten prefectures. Marshal Ye only needs a letter of appointment to make us fight for him!"

"Such a simple account, with Marshal Ye's wisdom and bravery, I think he will definitely settle it clearly!"

Hearing Duan Zhibao's words, Ye Pengchao could only nod and casually agree. Then Duan Zhibao seemed to remember something and told Ye Pengchao:

"Sun Chenggong is a man who is ambitious and stubborn, so he is not a big threat! But his master Cheng Pingzhi is good at strategy and is a powerful figure!"

"And Cheng Pingzhi is very loyal to the Sun family, so if your army wants to take Jingchu, you must get rid of him first!"

"As long as we can deal with Cheng Ping's grandson, we will be a toothless tiger!"

"The Thousand Tiger Guards have been rampant in Jingchu recently. Your unit can use their names to attack. In this way, Sun Chenggong will not be suspicious!"

Ye Pengchao's expression suddenly became serious when he heard this, and he bowed to Duan Zhibao and said:
"Thank you General Duan for telling me. Our army will take this matter seriously..."

(End of this chapter)